My Little Pony: The Entities of Emotion
by Michael Ravencroft
Summary: After being freed from their bonds, the Emotional Entities seek out a world where they can live in peace and harmony. What better place to live than Equestria, a land which embodies the very powers of will, hope, compassion, and love. But can they fit in with the pony race? And can they truly escape the turmoil of the universe they left behind, or will a new War of Light ignite?
1. Prologue I: My name is Ion

_I like this place_, thought the green earth pony stallion. He was young, about twenty years of age, with confident hazel green eyes, and a strange cutie mark that was white circle with a green colored lantern at its center. Currently the stallion was walking the streets of the quaint little village of Ponyville. The residents were very friendly, always smiling, of course that may have something to do with a pink mare he had met the earlier today who seemed to make others smile and laugh.

_Wonder where she went? She just took one look at me, gasped, and ran off faster than the wind. Was there something abnormal about my appearance, I thought I was normal looking…Oh no! Could she have some ability to see what I really am!?_

The stallion shook his head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts that tried to enter his mind. He had to think positive, especially since he needed to find, not only a job, but also a place to stay. The green stallion visited many shops and stalls around the town. At first he stopped by the Floral Shop, owned by three earth pony sisters, Rose, Lily, and Daisy. Unfortunately, although he had a good knack for it, the work wasn't as satisfying to him.

His journey for employment then took him to another shop called Quills & Sofas. While the physical aspect of moving the sofas around seemed a good way to use his strength, it wasn't as fulfilling to him. That's when he realized he needed a job that combined both cultivating and physical labor, and that's when it hit him, farming!

After some talking around, the green stallion finally found a good tip about where the biggest farming business around Ponyville was, Sweet Apple Acres. From what they told him, the farm had been around since the creation of Ponyville, and was responsible for the town's existence. Now it was time for him to see if they would take him. But before the stallion even trotted in the direction of the farm, he was once again greeted by the pink mare he met before, and she seemed to be towing something with her.

"Hello Miss –" the pink mare in question grabbed the stallion's right hoof with both of her hooves and started shaking it cutting him off. To his own astonishment, the mare was able to lift him in the air as she shook his hoof.

"Sorry I ran away earlier, when I saw you I was like 'I don't know him, he's new to town – and I should know, I know everypony in Ponyville!' So I rushed on over to get my official 'Welcome to Ponyville Welcome Wagon.' Sooooooooooooo…"

Pinkie Pie let go of the stallion's right hoof, his eyes were spinning about, as his body readjusted itself to a state stillness. It was at this time that Pinkie Pie went over to her wagon; she then kicked it which made the wagon produce musical horns. After that she began to sing and dance to the music being played out of the wagon.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!  
A fine welcome to you!  
Welcome, welcome, welcome!  
I say how you do you do!?  
Welcome, welcome, welcome!  
I say hip, hip hurray!  
Welcome, welcome, welcome  
To Ponyville today!"

The green stallion just stood there, both surprised and impressed by Pinkie's routine. He was about to open his mouth to speak but stopped the moment Pinkie said…

"Wait for it…!"

Just then the cart's oven door popped open and blasted the two of them with confetti. Which was kind of cool, but what he didn't see coming was the large amount of gooey substance exploding from the candy cane colored stacks. Pinkie Pie was covered in the gooey mess, obscuring her vision of the stallion.

"Silly me, I put the cake batter in the confetti cannons, and confetti in the oven, again!" Pinkie Pie quickly, and comically, lapped up the cake batter covering her body. "Sorry about that."

Oddly enough, the stallion wasn't covered in cake batter; in fact, the batter was lying in ring around him.

"It's alright, no harm done," he said.

"Great, in that case, you should come with me to Sugar Cube Corner! I got a big Welcome to Ponyville party all set up for you there!"

The stallion blinked at that statement.

"Really…you have a party already set up? For me?"

"Of course I do, c'mon, they're all waiting for you," said Pinkie Pie.

Before he could say another word, the green earth pony was whisked away by the mysteriously peppy and strong pink mare known as Pinkie Pie. If he really wanted to, he could slip away from her iron grasp at any time, but since she went through all the trouble.

_The least I can do is go to the party. Besides, it'll probably be just a few ponies, nothing big. _

* * *

(Sugar Cube Corner)

_I stand corrected…_

When the stallion arrived at the sweet shop, he was surprised to see that the inside was filled with many ponies from town. Everypony from stallions, mares, and even little foals all showed up to welcome this complete stranger to their town. It was, to say the least, heartwarming. Considering everything he went through in his last home, Ponyville was very accepting.

Pinkie Pie had gotten atop a makeshift stage, dragging the guest of honor with her. She then produced a microphone seemingly out of nowhere and gained the attention of every pony in the room.

"Hi everypony, today we're here to say welcome a new pony coming to live in Ponyville –!" Pinkie Pie quickly placed a hoof over the mike. "You are staying in Ponyville, right," she asked in a hushed tone.

The stallion nodded.

"So then why don't you introduce yourself Mr. Mystery Stallion!?"

Pinkie Pie threw the mike over to him, he fumbled with it for a few seconds, being caught off guard by the sudden pass. All eyes were on him, as the other Ponyvillians awaited the name of their newest resident. Regaining his hoofing, the stallion stood proudly before the crowd.

"Hi everybody!My name is Ion, and I'm looking forward to living here with all of you!"

The crowd of ponies all clapped their hooves together and let out a big cheer. Afterwards, Ion left the stage to enjoy his own party. He quickly got acquainted with the owners of the shop, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, as well as their twin foals, Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Ion felt an overwhelming urge to ask why one foal was a pegasus and the other a unicorn, but one look at the couple's faces told him that it was a question that was answered many times over, so he decided to spare them having to answer it again.

Ion was led by Pinkie Pie so she could introduce him to two ponies talking to each other, a pegasus with a rainbow mane, and a rather attractive looking unicorn mare beside her.

"Oh Rainbow Dash please, it would only be for a little while," said the white unicorn mare.

"Forget it Rarity, I'm not going to model for you again, just get Fluttershy to do it," retorted Rainbow Dash.

"As lovely as she is, Fluttershy doesn't have exactly what you have that I need for my model," said Rarity.

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Your athletic build darling, please, oh please, please, please, please," pleaded Rarity.

"Hi girls!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

Rarity immediately made herself presentable from her pleading demeanor just moments before as Pinkie and Ion arrived.

"I thought I'd introduce you to my gal pals! Ion, this is Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Rainbow Dash is like the fastest flyer ever, and Rarity makes the beautirific clothes you've ever seen –!"

Just then Pinkies eye lids began to flutter rapidly, making Ion raise an eyebrow at the odd gesture of the pink party pony.

"Sorry, gotta run, we're about to run out of punch!"

With that said Pinkie Pie dashed off into the back of the bakery, leaving behind an outline of herself in the form of smoke, which was smiling at the three of them till it faded away.

"Umm, what just happened," asked Ion.

"Pinkie Sense," said Rainbow Dash and Rarity together.

Ion still looked confused.

"Trust us darling, better to accept it as it is. So, Ion, what brings you to Ponyville, relatives, business, or a fillyfriend perhaps?" Rarity gave the green stallion a salacious look.

"What!? No, no, no, nothing like that! I'm actually just roaming around, looking for some work," said Ion.

"Work huh, so what were you thinking of doing," asked Rainbow.

"Well I wanted to try my hoof at farm work, and folks around town say that Sweet Apple Acres is the best around here."

"Cool, so where are you staying tonight, going to the Inn?"

Ion seemed to hesitate at that question, eliciting looks of concern from the two mares.

"…I was hoping to barter with the Inn Keeper, once I was able to get said job."

"Darling, are you saying you have no money," asked Rarity.

"Not at the moment, no," confessed Ion.

"Well that simply won't do at all." Rarity's horn glowed; she then produced, in a flash of light, a few bits. "Here, this should get you a room, at least for the night."

"Oh no, I couldn't," said Ion, astonished by the generosity of the mare before him.

"Think nothing of it; a new resident to Ponyville shouldn't have to sleep on the streets, not after the fabulous party Pinkie Pie has thrown."

"Yeah, and I'll do you one better. Sweet Apple Acres is run by a friend ours, her name is Applejack. I'll take you there tomorrow and we can talk to her. It shouldn't be too hard, considering Cider Season's coming up, she'll need all the help she can get," said Rainbow Dash.

"I really don't know what to say…thank you," said Ion, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

"Guess we have a reason to really party now, c'mon Ion!"

Before he could say anymore, Rainbow Dash grabbed the stallion and started having him cut a rug. It was awkward, clumsy, and sporadic, but to tell the truth, Ion was having fun, and admittedly, everyone else was either bad or worse than he was.

_I really like this place!_

* * *

(The Next Day)

Ion's sleep was a peaceful one, best he'd had in a long time. The green earth pony stallion stared out through his window, watching all the citizens of the town move about their day. He saw a little gray unicorn filly running around, while a pegasus mare with same coat and mane color catch up with her. She then drew the little filly into a hug and the two trotted along. The sight of the mother and daughter warmed his heart; even now it still amazed him how happy this world was.

Just then Ion saw a rainbow streak fly across the sky; it looped around and headed straight for the Inn. Ion already had a good idea about who this was and proceeded downstairs. His timing was perfect as the speedster mare landed a foot away from him, flashing him a confident smile.

"Mornin' Ion, ready to head to Applejack's," asked Rainbow.

"Ready when you are."

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in showing Ion the way to Sweet Apple Acres. Along the way Rainbow pointed out the different places in Ponyville that she liked to take a nap in, and Applejack's orchid trees were one of them. There was something that Ion did find particularly interesting, when the two of them trotted, or in Rainbow's case flew, he couldn't help but notice that the pegasus mare held her gaze upon a tree that appeared to have been fashioned into a house.

"Miss Rainbow Dash –"

"Call me Rainbow, I don't like all that formality stuff."

"Okay, Rainbow Dash, what is that place exactly, that weird tree," asked Ion.

"Oh there, that's Golden Oaks Library, my ma– uh – I mean – my best friend Twilight Sparkle lives there, and she's the librarian as well. She's kind of an egghead, but she's awesome, well not as awesome as me, but still pretty awesome!"

"She's also one of the Princesses, right? It must be nice to have royalty living so close."

"Y-yeah, she's not all that used to being a Princess yet, so she's still the same as she was before she became one, which is fine with me. I like her the way she is," said Rainbow.

"Oh, Twilight must be a very dear friend to you?"

Rainbow nodded, but quickly shook her head. "C'mon, we need to get AJ's!" The cyan pegasus increased her speed, moving on as fast as she could.

_If Predator was here, she'd have a field day with her reaction. _

* * *

Sweet Apple Acres, it was rustic, quaint, and as advertised, a large farm. A big red barn house was offset beside secondary barn; the air was filled with the smell of fresh apples.

As Rainbow and Ion entered the farm through the white fence they trotted towards the main house. On the porch there was an old mare sitting in a rocking chair, her coat was bright lime green, and her mane white from old age. Next to her, lying on a cushion and looking miffed, was a large red stallion, with an orange mane and green eyes. His midsection seemed to be wrapped up in bandages.

"Hi there Granny Smith, hi Big Macintosh," said Rainbow Dash.

"Hello there youngin'," replied Granny Smith.

Big Mac only snorted and nodded in their direction, noting the new face that was accompanying the rainbow maned mare.

"What can we do ya'fer?"

"Well we needed to talk to Applejack, is she around?"

"Oh she should be off in the orchard buckin' down some apples with Apple Bloom, with Cider Season comin' and all."

"Thanks, c'mon Ion."

Ion followed Rainbow Dash as she hovered off to the rows of apple trees. For many ponies, the trees just looked like regular apple trees, but to Ion, they were more. Through his eyes, Ion could see the energy shimmering off of them, a great deal of hard work and willpower put into caring and nurturing their growth. Even the land beneath his hooves radiated a similar light, all of a green tint. It filled him with joy to see such an abundance of this energy.

After walking for about ten minutes Ion could hear a weird thudding noise echoing through the trees. Rainbow Dash moved faster, invigorated by the noise, a possible indicator that they were getting closer. Once they cleared another row of trees that's when he saw her. She was an orange earth pony mare, with a blonde mane and tail that was tied off at the end with a red string, and lovely green eyes. Her cutie mark was that of three shiny red apples, while atop her head she wore a Stetson hat.

Ion watched the mare as she balanced on her forelegs, folded her hind legs, and kicked the tree, losing its contents of red apples. The multitudes of delicious fruit fell out of the tree branches, landing in the neatly placed baskets, filling them up to the brim. A couple of trees down from the orange mare, there was a filly, with a yellow coat and red mane and a pink bow tied in it. The little filly was doing the same thing as the older mare, kicking the apple trees and making them fall from the branches. The mare with the Stetson hat took a moment to scan her surroundings, at which point she finally noticed both Rainbow and Ion standing across from her.

"Howdy Rainbow," she called out.

"Hey Applejack!"

The two mares met each other halfway and performed a "hoof bump" as they did. Ion followed behind, trying not to interrupt the two friends. It wasn't long before Applejack became curious about the new face among them.

"Hey there, Ah don't reckon Ah've see ya around these parts, name's Applejack."

"Ion and it's nice to meet you Miss Applejack. You have a beautiful orchard," said Ion.

"Thank ya kindly, so what brings you and Rainbow here?"

Ion started to fidget nervously, "You see…I was hoping that I could come and work for you on your farm Miss Applejack."

"You wanna work on Sweet Apple Acres? Well Ah don't normally turn down hard workers, but as it stands, Ah can't take ya on," said Applejack.

That was a bit of a disappointment to Ion, he really liked the way it felt around there, and the mare who exhumed great will from her soul. However, Rainbow Dash seemed to take his rejection a little more seriously than he did.

"C'mon Applejack, you can't –!"

"Applejack!?"

"Yeah Apple Bloom," she responded while glancing over her shoulder.

"Ah'm gonna go and keep buckin' more of the trees further in," said Apple Bloom.

"Alright, just don't go too far, Ah'll be there in a minute." Once Applejack was certain that Apple Bloom was far enough not hear their conversation she turned her attention back to Ion and Rainbow Dash. "Like Ah said, Ah can't afford to hire help right now."

"I really don't mind the amount you give me; as long as I can assure the Inn Keeper that I have a job, and that money will be coming, I can make do," said Ion.

"Ah appreciate yer enthusiasm, but at the moment Ah can't, and any amount Ah can pay ya probably wouldn't be that much to cover a month's rent at the Inn."

"Applejack c'mon, cut the guy some slack! We just came here from your house and we saw the condition Big Mac is in. You'll need help, especially with Cider Season, you need someone like Big Macintosh to help you buck, carry, and press apples," said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack looked over Ion, to which he stood completely still. He wasn't an overly muscular stallion, but he was well toned, the kind of build you'd expect of a fighter.

"Ah don't know…Ah want to, but Ah gotta think about the long run, plus we're about to make a huge investment in land later this year, and we need every bit we can save up…"

"I undertand…"

"Ion!"

"No, it's okay Rainbow Dash. I'm not going to force the issue, thank you anyway Miss Applejack."

"Look, if it's any constellation, Ah'll recommend ya to some other farmers around Ponyville, Ah'm sure they'd –!"

"APPLEJACK!"

Ion, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash turned in the direction of the voice. It sounded like Apple Bloom, but there was a level of fear and distress in her tone. Not wasting any time, Applejack galloped off in the direction her sister last went, Ion and Rainbow Dash followed close behind to offer whatever help they could. It wasn't long before they saw Apple Bloom galloping at full speed towards them, her eyes wide as saucers, with a frightened expression on her face. She skidded to stop as the three older ponies met up with her.

"Apple Bloom what's the matter, are ya alright little sis!?"

"Ti-ti-ti – TIMBERWOLF!"

Ion was confused by that name, but it appeared that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were aware of what it was she was talking about, and it filled them with fear that he knew all too well.

"That's impossible; timberwolves don't come this far out of the Everfree Forest!"

"Apple Bloom, are ya sure it was a timberwolf, are ya _absolutely_ sure!?"

Apple Bloom pointed her hoof in the direction she was running from. Straining his ears, Ion tried to listen for whatever danger the little filly was pointing to. Soon he heard the sounds of many trees snapping and breaking, and a low tremor vibrated beneath his hooves that came in succession, as if something were drawing closer. What confirmed the suspicions of the two mares was the loud, horrible roar that echoed through the tree line ahead.

"Run?" Rainbow asked.

"Run!" Applejack confirmed.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom took off, leaving Ion standing there looking confused as to what the creature was. He didn't have to wait long before his question was answered. A large beast came bursting through the tree line, its body made up of wood and leaves. A crown sat upon its head, with glowing eyes and sharp fangs. The Alpha Timberwolf spotted Ion, snarled, and roared. Now knowing the identity of the beast, Ion quickly did an about face and galloped like the wind after the three ponies.

Ion managed to catch up to the two mares and filly, surprising Rainbow and Applejack at the incredible speed of the stallion.

"What in Equestria is that thing!?"

"A timberwolf, it comes from the Everfree Forest," shouted Rainbow.

"Only they aren't supposed to come out this far, they only roam around the edge of the forest or hunt inside of it! This is definitely not normal!" Applejack shouted.

"Sis, didn't ya mention a timberwolf that looked like that that Spike saved you from last year," asked Apple Bloom.

"What!? Oh shoot, it must be the same one! It's trackin' meh, and it probably smelled mah scent on ya, that's why it found us!"

"Ah'm sorry," apologized Apple Bloom.

"Don't worry about it Apple Bloom, just run!"

Ion glanced over his shoulder, and then back in front him, a clearing was coming up, and the beast was just a few yards behind them. No doubt it would continue hunting them, and most likely harm other ponies trying to find Applejack. That's when Ion made his decision. Once they got to the clearing, the green earth pony stallion skidded to a halt, doing a one-hundred and eighty degree turn, facing in the direction of the oncoming Alpha Timberwolf. The other three ponies stopped abruptly, watching the stallion stand his ground.

"What're ya doin', keep runnin'!"

"No, that thing will just keep coming after us! I'll take care of it!"

"You'll WHAT!?" Rainbow shouted. "Have you lost your mind!? You can't take on that thing alone!"

"I don't plan on fighting it; I plan on leading it away long enough for you three to get away! You can bring help later, alright!?" Ion shouted.

Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash, they then glanced down at Apple Bloom and that's when they reluctantly made their decision.

"C'mon Apple Bloom…"

"Applejack ya can't be serious!?"

"NOW!"

Rainbow Dash flew down quickly and scooped up the little filly, even as she continued protesting what they were doing. As Applejack turned around to gallop after them, she turned her head and stared directly into the stallion's eyes.

"Don't ya dare die on my farm…!"

Ion simply nodded and watched as Applejack ran into the trees behind him, following Rainbow Dash. The green stallion then stared down the tree line, the sounds of the beast approaching were becoming louder and louder with each passing second.

"_**In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night  
No evil shall escape my sight;  
Let those who worship evil's might  
Beware the power of Will's grand light!**_"

Ion's cutie marks began to glow, covering him in a thin layer of green energy; his eyes glowed, pulsating with the same power. At that moment, from the tree line ahead, burst forth the Alpha Timberwolf. The beast snarled as it spotted Ion, quirking its head at the odd glow coming from the earth pony's body.

"Come beast, attack me if you dare," said Ion in a calm even tone.

The Alpha Timberwolf howled answering his challenge; the lupine creature ran towards the stallion, narrowing its glowing eyes as it charged for him. The timberwolf lunged for Ion, baring its fangs and claws.

Ion's eyes flashed, sending out a wave of energy flying towards the Alpha Timberwolf. When the blast hit it engulfed the creature, completely freezing it place. The timberwolf floated just three feet from Ion, its eyes wide with shock. It then let out a deep breath, allowing Ion to get a nose full of the wolf's malodorous breath. Ion then waved his hoof in front of his nose, coughing from the scent that evaded his nostrils.

"Ugh, foul stench. Well, compared to the Butcher's, it's like a fresh spring breeze."

Ion's right hoof shined with power, he then waved it from left to right, causing the Alpha Timberwolf fly off into the other direction! It tumbled a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. The creature's body lit up, its scattered bits recollecting and fusing back into its body. The monster lupine roared in anger at the stallion who threw him like a rag doll. Apparently not learning its lesson from the first attack, the Alpha Timberwolf charged for Ion yet again.

Ion let out disappointed sigh. The green stallion rose on his hind legs, Ion's left and right forehooves burned with the power of his will! He thrust his forelegs forward, sending out another wave of energy at the Alpha Timberwolf. Suddenly two ball and chain weight constructs appeared around the wolf's hind legs, jerking the monstrous lupine back and sprawling onto the ground. Two more constructs formed around its paws, clamping them to the ground. Ion raised his hooves into the air, just above the timberwolf, a pair of giant swords slammed down on either side of its neck, forming an X with the head sticking through the gap.

"I see your body is made up of a collective consciousness. One connected to many, melding your individual portions to form a whole." Ion approached the Alpha Timberwolf, staring directly into its eyes. "Listen to me, you will go back to your home and stay there! You will never come out to harm any ponies or…" Ion's eyes shined brighter, incasing the timberwolf in green energy yet again.

The Alpha Timberwolf could feel it's body become unstable, every part of it threatening to burst apart at the seams.

"I'll use all my power to break you down to your atomic structure, it'll be years before you can gather enough of yourself to form even a single thought…Are we in agreement," asked Ion.

The creature nodded carefully, making sure not to anger the powerful stallion.

"Good."

With a flash of his eyes the Alpha Timberwolf burst apart into a thousand plus pieces. Ion's other constructs had vanished without a trace to be seen.

"Now let's make sure you don't come back for a while." Ion raised his left hoof and fired another collection of green energy. The blast exploded a few feet away, transforming into a giant catapult construct. Ion pointed the same hoof towards the pieces, levitating them into the catapult. "Happy landings!"

With a wave of his hoof the catapult released, hurling the pieces of the Alpha Timberwolf clear across the sky, aiming towards the Everfree Forest where they disappeared beyond the tree tops.

Once that was done Ion closed his eyes, the green aura around him started to dissipate till it was gone completely, his cutie marks no longer glowing, with a heavy sigh Ion glanced in the direction where Applejack and the others ran off to.

"As peaceful as this world is, there still seem to be some dangers, I'll keep that in mind. Now…time to work on my cover story."

* * *

Applejack galloped as fast and hard as she could, knowing that she just probably left a pony to die made her angry, partly at Ion, but mostly at herself, but she had no choice, she had to think of Apple Bloom's safety, and Rainbow Dash's. Soon they came upon the farmhouse, AJ noted that Big Mac had shot up from his resting spot, and that Granny Smith jumped out of her rocking chair at the sight of the three of them.

"GRANNY, BIG MAC, WE GOT A PROBLEM!" Applejack shouted as she dug her hooves into the ground, bringing herself to a stop.

"What's all the commotion about," asked Granny Smith.

"Timberwolf, a big one, chasing us," answered Rainbow Dash.

"WHAT!? Where is it," asked Big Macintosh.

"It was right behind us, but Ion stayed back to lead it away from us," said Apple Bloom.

"Ya mean that stallion that stopped by here earlier?" Granny asked.

"Yes! Now listen, we need to get some ponies together to help drive that thing away before that fool stallion gets himself killed," said Applejack.

"I guess that makes me the fool stallion?" All eyes quickly snapped into the direction of the voice. Applejack gasped as she saw Ion trotting leisurely towards the worried group of ponies. "Although I will admit, it was a stupid thing to do."

"ION!" Applejack ran ahead of the others to Ion. When she arrived Applejack quickly inspected the green earth pony, circling around him to make sure that he didn't sustain any injuries, to her relief, he did not.

Soon the others gathered to Ion with expressions of surprise and curiosity.

"I can't believe it, you got away," said Rainbow Dash.

"Is it comin' for us," asked Big Macintosh.

"No, trust me, the timberwolf won't be coming back for a long time," said Ion.

Apple Bloom pushed past the older ponies and stared in awe of the stallion. "Seriously, how'd ya do it, what happened to it!?"

"Well I ran as fast as I could, I didn't have clue where I was but the next thing I knew I was staring over the edge of a steep cliff. When the timberwolf lunged for me, I ducked down and rolled under its legs. Once I got behind it, I kicked that thing as hard as I could over the cliff and broke it into a thousand pieces."

Rainbow Dash came up and patted the green stallion on the back, giving her congrats on not dying. Granny Smith came up and mushed his cheeks and thanked him for saving her granddaughters. Big Mac just simply smiled and nodded in Ion's direction. Applejack just stood back, her mind at work as she looked at the stallion.

"Applejack, again, thank you, I'll see you later," said Ion.

"Hold on now." Ion froze. "Cider Season is coming up, and with Big Macintosh injured, we could use an extra hoof around here."

"Applejack?"

"So, fer the time bein', you can work at the farm."

"Really," asked Ion completely astonished.

"But yer on probation, we'll see how ya do during Cider Season, afterwards we'll negotiate. You'll also be livin' in the barn beside the house till Ah'm more sure about ya, so you won't have to worry about rent at the Inn. The least Ah can do since ya saved me the trauma of having to find yer body out in the orchard," said Applejack with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash gave Ion a hard slap on the back, knocking him off balance, her little way of congratulating him. The other Apples came up and officially introduced themselves, with Ion doing the same, every pony smiling and laughing from today's ordeal.

Applejack didn't know it at the time; after all, she just invited a complete stranger to live with her and her family. But something about Ion intrigued her, she didn't know what, but there was definitely something about him. Something…more…


	2. Prologue II: Hello, I'm Adara

The day was bright, with a few light clouds in the sky. Up above there was a little pegasus filly, about the age of ten. She had a blue coat, a long light blue mane, and navy blue eyes. Her cutie mark however was that of a strange white symbol. She rather enjoyed flying through the skies; it was in her nature after all. When she heard that she'd be assuming the form a pony, she worried about not being able to fly. Thankfully this world had ponies that could not only use magic, but could fly as well as control the weather. A pegasus, that's what she remembered this particular form was called.

Equestria was a beautiful place, from the skies and on the ground, so full of hope and wonder. In the town below, Ponyville if she wasn't mistaken, the filly found that she liked this town, especially three fillies that seemed to get into one crazy shenanigan after the other. A group comprised of a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus, which went by the name the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

She'd often watch them from afar, admiring their "crusading," how even through their repeated failures to obtain their cutie marks it never dampened their spirits. They always kept hoping, hoping that their next endeavor would lead them to their prize. One of the Crusaders, in particular, caught the filly's eye. It was the pegasus with an orange coat and violet mane, her wings could not lift her off the ground, but they could propel her far, if she remembered correctly, her name was Scootaloo.

Today was starting off like any normal day for the mysterious filly. She watched the Crusaders from high above, hiding behind a cloud. The one thing she was grateful for was that her pegasus form did not hinder her acute hearing and keen binocular sight, allowing her to see and hear what they were doing. Currently she was watching the Crusaders mount a red wagon, while Scootaloo hooked her scooter to it. Scootaloo then placed her helmet on her head and flapped her wings, propelling her scooter and the wagon at an amazing rate of speed.

"Today's the day guys, I can feel it, today's the day we get our cutie marks in…Sky Diving," proclaimed Scootaloo.

"Ah'm glad we didn't get rid of these things," said Apple Bloom gesturing to the parachute pack, "Since Spike stopped us last time and all, we never did get to try out this idea."

"Scootaloo, you never said where it was we were going to Sky Dive from," said Sweetie Belle.

"Dead Mare's Drop," she said plainly.

"Oh, okay."

There was a long pause, but it seemed that after a few seconds to process Scootaloo's words, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's jaws dropped with their eyes wide as saucers.

"DEAD MARE'S DROP," the two fillies shouted in unison.

"What?"

"Are ya crazy Scoots!? That place is too high, what happened to just jumpin' off that bridge over the stream!?"

"There's no way that would've worked. Besides, I checked the place out; it's not as bad as everypony says it is."

The mysterious filly overhead, while confident in Scootaloo, did not like the sound of this "Dead Mare's Drop." After contemplating it for a minute she made her decision to follow them all the way to the location, even if it meant being spotted.

_Maybe it isn't as bad as they make it out to be? It's probably just a very steep hill or something like that._

* * *

_Then again…maybe not…_

The mysterious filly, while taking cover behind a cloud, stared down at the infamously named, Dead Mare's Drop. Even from her perch, she could tell that this cliff was high, at least a two hundred foot drop, with only a small clearing below and a sea of trees further ahead. All three fillies examined the cliff, noting the long drop.

"This has got to be, by far, the most dangerous crusade we've ever done," stated Sweetie Belle.

"Eeyup," said Apple Bloom.

"Definitely," added Scootaloo.

_Thank goodness, they know how dangerous it is_, thought the mysterious filly.

"Let's do it!" Apple Bloom shouted.

_Or maybe they do and they just don't care…_

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle positioned themselves at the edge of Dead Mare's Drop. The blue pegasus filly was gripping the cloud she hid on tightly, her brow sweating, the anxiety building. Although she held out hope that they would succeed, there was a small part of her that hoped that they wouldn't.

_Oh great Entity, please do not let any harm befall these three_, she silently prayed.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SKY DIVERS!YAY!"

With their group battle cry shouted, their parachutes and goggles fastened, the three fillies jumped off the edge of the cliff. The blue pegasus watched as they fell faster and faster, with each foot they plummeted the mysterious pegasus bit her hooves. Soon enough the Crusader's parachutes deployed, three chutes, for three ponies. She let out a sigh of relief, from her vantage point, she could determine that they had deployed at the right time, and at their current descent, would land safely at the bottom.

"We did it!" Scootaloo shouted.

"Thank Celestia," said Sweetie Belle.

"Can ya see anythin'," asked Apple Bloom.

Each filly angled their heads to check the flanks of the other, sadly, not a one had that which they sought. With a collective groan they sagged in midair, pouting at how even though they did everything right, they still didn't have their mark. Although the mysterious pegasus was glad that nothing had gone wrong, she still felt sorry that they did not gain their marks.

Suddenly something shifted; the blue filly could feel a change in the air currents surrounding the area. Her fears were realized when she saw the three Crusaders struggling to hang onto their chute strings. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle seemed to maneuver their chutes to keep them stable. However the same could not be said about Scootaloo. A big gust of air rushed the orange pegasus filly, quickly slamming her into the side of the cliff.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Scootaloo screamed.

The blue pegasus eyes zoomed in, showing that Scootaloo's wing was bent at an odd angle. Another gust of wind blew in again, smashing her into the side of the cliff yet again. At this point her parachute got caught on a jetting piece of stone, an audible tearing sound echoing up to her ears. She could hear Scootaloo cry out in pain as her friends looked on helplessly, unable to rise up and get their friend. From what she could tell Scootaloo wasn't moving, in fact, her eyes were closed.

After a minute Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle landed on the ground, they quickly removed their parachute gear and stared up at their friend, still caught on the rock up above.

"SCOOTALOO!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"SAY SOMETHING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? SCOOTALOO!?" Sweetie Belle shouted.

The tearing sound grew louder and longer, as Scootaloo's body dropped down lower, the cloth slowly ripping apart. With the last thread torn, Scootaloo was released, going into free fall. No longer able to watch, the mysterious filly shot up to her hooves, spread her wings, and took off. She spiraled in the air for a few seconds before diving down. The wind whistled in her ears, protesting her amazing speed as she almost literally cut through the air itself.

Scootaloo's body quickly came into view; she was mere inches away from her. In one motion, the blue pegasus filly scooped up Scootaloo into her forelegs, she then angled her wings, allowing herself to change course and aim directly for the trees. She noted that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle must've seen her, but at the rate of speed she was going, she most likely appeared as blue and orange blur.

The mysterious pegasus held Scootaloo close, her eyes fluttered open for just a brief second.

"…R-Rainbow Dash…?"

Scootaloo's eyes closed, losing consciousness. The blue pegasus filly slowed to a hover, frantically looking around for a spot to land. Her keen eyes spotted a small clearing down below. With her target in sight, she flew down. As she slowed she found a small bed of soft moss, she then lowered Scootaloo gently onto it belly first, minding her broken wing. Once she was relieved of her load, the filly landed next to Scootaloo.

"Can you hear me, Scootaloo," she asked.

No response.

"Oh great Entity, please…" She lowered her head, placing an ear next to her Scootaloo's head. She could hear soft, low, raspy breathes. "Alive, but that doesn't sound good."

_Forgive me everyone, but I must use some of my power or this filly might die!_

"_**In raging day, in fearful night,  
With strong hearts full, our souls ignite.  
When all seems lost in the War of Light,  
Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!"**_

The mark on the filly's flanks began to glow, her body erupting with a powerful blue aura, her eyes brimming with the same power. Using this power, she peered into Scootaloo's body, allowing her to see the extent of the damage done.

"Just as I thought," her voice echoed a mixture between young filly and grown mare, "A rib has punctured her lung, and she's broken her left wing…" Her head drifted to Scootaloo's, she then raised a hoof and rested it gently on the filly's head. "I won't let you die, you who are so full of hope."

The blue power of the pegasus shined brighter, the aura surrounding her washing over Scootaloo. There was a pained expression on Scootaloo's face, but once the blue light enveloped her small body, it changed to one of relief and comfort.

_Show me your hopes, your dreams, use these, that I may heal you. _The blue energy pulsated, with small sparkles leaving Scootaloo and traveling to the blue pegasus filly. She smiled; she could see the hopes Scootaloo held her heart. She wanted to be like her idol, to be fast, brave, and strong like her, this Rainbow Dash. Another hope of Scootaloo's was that one day she could fly like all the other pegasi, to soar among clouds, and zip through the clear blue sky above, to laugh in the face of gravity. The last hope was obvious, her cutie mark, she wanted to know her special talent, and in so doing, learn who she really was.

"I was right about you, Scootaloo. You are a wonderful filly, and that is why…I won't let you go. Do not fear, death will not have you. _**All will be well.**_"

The mysterious filly focused the aura of her power, letting it completely surround Scootaloo like a cocoon. Scootaloo's body completely disappeared as the blue light obscured her. With a flash of light from the blue pegasus' eyes, the light shattered, revealing Scootaloo. Any visible bruises had completely vanished, her left wing was no longer broken, and her breathing was clear and normal.

The power she summoned slowly dissipated, she then trotted over to Scootaloo's left side and laid down next her, watching over her as mother bird would watch over her hatchlings.

"Now we wait, but…" she looked towards her flank, "I'll have to do something about this."

* * *

Scootaloo yawned and groaned, raising her head slightly and blinking her eyes to focus. All around her were trees; her body felt the soft touch of the moss below her as her ears caught the sounds of many chirping song birds. Scootaloo was confused; the last thing she remembered was jumping off a cliff with her friends…the parachute released…no cutie mark…and then…

"HOLY HORSEFEATHERS!"

"I see you're awake."

Scootaloo jumped up from her resting spot and scooted back. Lying next to her was a blue pegasus filly, about the same age as herself.

"Hello, I'm Adara. I'm glad you're alright," she said.

"W-w-what – you – but I was –! What happened to me!?"

"You and your friends were parachuting off a cliff, Dead Mare's Drop I think it's called. I was flying by when I saw you getting swept up by rogue wind, it slammed you against the side of the cliff, it must've knocked you out, because when your chute tore you weren't moving," explained Adara.

Scootaloo thought over what Adara had told her, she racked her brain trying to remember what had happened to her. Soon the metaphorical light bulb popped on in Scootaloo's head.

"That's right…I…I got swept up, I remember getting hurt, but after that nothing!" Scootaloo then looked to Adara. "You…you saved my life!?"

Adara nodded.

Scootaloo quickly dashed to Adara and drew her into a tight hug, practically lifting her up with amazing strength. Scootaloo quickly broke the embrace and whipped her head frantically from side to side.

"Oh my gosh, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, what happened to them!?"

"Your friends are fine; I saw them land on the ground safely. They're probably worried about you since I kind of whisked you away rather quickly," Adara admitted.

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia…" Scootaloo lowered her head as her ears flattened. "I could've gotten them killed…I almost died…I can't believe how stupid I was…"

"Do not blame yourself, you and you're friends are safe and unharmed, that's all that matters now," said Adara.

"I guess…thank you Adara, I owe you big time."

"No need to, just happy you're okay." Adara began to rise up on her hooves. "We should get going; your friends must be really worried by now. Follow me, I know the way back."

Scootaloo didn't hesitate, she trotted up next to Adara and the two began their walk back to where her friends were. Along the way, Scootaloo and Adara trotted in silence, admiring the scenery. Adara had asked why she had called her Rainbow Dash at one point; Scootaloo blushed and became embarrassed that she had mistaken her for her idol. After a shared laugh between them, they pressed forward. After walking for about twenty minutes Scootaloo noticed something she hadn't earlier, both of Adara's flanks were blank.

"You don't have a cutie mark either!?"

"Hmm, no, I don't, is that strange?"

"No, no, it's just, there aren't a lot of blank flanks like us in Ponyville, come to think of it, I've never actually seen you around town," said Scootaloo.

"That's because I'm not from Ponyville, like I said, I was flying by when I saw what happened," said Adara.

"Oh, so where you from," she asked.

"I actually I don't have a home of my own, but –"

Scootaloo came to a full stop and stared wide eyed at Adara. "You don't have a home!? You're telling me you're homeless!?"

Adara was taken by surprise at Scootaloo's reaction.

"Well yes…"

"What about your parents, where are they?"

"I don't have any," the blue pegasus placed a hoof to her chin, "come to think of it I don't believe I ever had any," said Adara in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said anything." Scootaloo started to feel guilty about how she must've reacted, feeling that she may have opened an old wound for her new friend.

"No, it's alright, I'm not bothered by it at all," assured Adara, placing a hoof on Scootaloo's withers.

The orange pegasus filly looked into Adara's eyes, they were completely sincere, no sadness at all about bringing up the subject.

"Hey Adara…do you…do you want to stay with me, at my place? It may not be much, but at least you'll have some place sleep tonight," Scootaloo offered, noticing the lowering sun.

"Well…if it isn't an inconvenience to you, then sure."

Scootaloo's ears perked up, she jumped into the air excitedly and hovered for a moment thanks to her buzzing wings before landing back on terra firma.

"Awesome!"

"Scootaloo…" echoed a voice.

Scootaloo and Adara's ears twitched in the direction of the voice.

"Scootaloo…" echoed a different voice.

"That's Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, c'mon Adara they're close!"

Scootaloo ran in the direction of the voices, with Adara following close behind her. Five minutes later Scootaloo spotted her fellow Crusaders, calling out her name and scanning the area for any sign of her. Scootaloo galloped faster as she called out their names, immediately their eyes caught sight of the orange filly. All three of them galloped for each other, colliding into a combined ball of hugs and tears.

"Scootaloo yer alright," said Apple Bloom.

"You had us worried sick! After you got thrown into the cliff we thought…we thought…"

Sweetie Belle was about break down into a full sob, but Scootaloo brought up her right hoof and wiped off some of the tears that were accumulating on her eyes.

"It's okay Sweetie Belle I'm fine, see?" Scootaloo got up from under the two fillies and struck a pose and fluttered her wings, assuring her two friends that she wasn't injured.

"Scootaloo what happened, one minute we saw ya fallin' and the next we saw ya disappear when a blue streak passed by ya," asked Apple Bloom.

"Wow, just a streak, you really must've been moving fast when you caught me Adara," said Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo, and then turned around to see Adara slowly walking towards them, a gentle smile arched across her face.

"I didn't notice really, I was just really focused on getting to you before you hit the ground."

Scootaloo trotted around her friends and next to Adara, draping a foreleg around the filly.

"Guys, this is Adara, she's the pony who saved my life!"

"Hi," said Adara meekly.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked to each other and then back to Adara. In a blur of yellow and white, Adara vanished from Scootaloo's side. When she didn't feel her savior's presence, Scootaloo whipped around and saw that both the unicorn and earth pony fillies were hugging Adara tightly, and from the look on her face, Adara was being squeezed to death by the thankful pair.

"Oh boy, better save her before they crush her spine."

* * *

Night had finally fallen over Ponyville; Luna's moon was high in the sky, beaming down its milky blue light upon the world below. After saying goodbye to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo then led Adara through the familiar apple trees from which she had traversed many times over with her friends. She noticed that Adara had a confused look on her face, it was understandable, after all, Scootaloo had offered her place to sleep, but she never said exactly where.

Soon their destination came into view. It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, she had to admit, Apple Bloom did a great job fixing the place up. It was a little chilly sometimes, but nothing a good blanket couldn't cure.

"Well, this is it," said Scootaloo.

"You live in a tree house," asked Adara.

"Yeah, because I'm the same as you, I don't have a home, or parents, not anymore…"

Scootaloo trotted up the steps, with Adara following. She then pushed the door open. It was dark inside, with a little bit of moonlight pouring in from the windows, but Scootaloo knew the inside of the clubhouse by memory alone so moving around wasn't hard. Scootaloo trotted further inside and went to a corner of the clubhouse and grabbed a lantern. She brought it to the table and shook it a bit. Immediately the fireflies inside came to life and buzzed around, illuminating a good portion of the clubhouse.

"Welcome to my home, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse!"

Adara stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Once inside she took a look around, taking note of all the different knickknacks and things inside.

"Let me give you the grand tour! This is where we eat our roll call." Scootaloo buzzed on over to a piece of paper that hung on the wall, a drawn face each of Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, with a check marked box next to it. She then buzzed on over to a little red and white carpet underneath another lantern. "And this great spot for thinking of ideas to get our cutie marks."

Adara giggled.

"If you go up the latter you'll be able to look through our little observatory, we have a great view of Sweet Apple Acres from up there and –!"

*Grumble*

"What was that," asked Adara.

*Grumble*

Scootaloo moved her hoof to her stomach; she felt her stomach grumble and rumble as it made noises. Scootaloo blushed in embarrassment at her grumbling stomach, noticing for the first time how hungry she was.

"Guess I'm a little hungry," said Scootaloo.

Adara looked out the window, "You said those are apple trees out there, right?"

"Yeah."

"Be right back."

Adara leaped through the open window swiftly, making Scootaloo do a double take at her new friend's speed. Such a thing she'd only seen Rainbow Dash do on occasion, and without hurting herself. The orange filly quickly went to the window to see where Adara went, but she couldn't see her anywhere. After about thirty seconds Scootaloo heard a knock at the front door, curious, she trotted over and opened the door, only to find the swift blue pegasus standing there with a foreleg full apples.

"I got dinner!" Adara proclaimed proudly as she walked in passed Scootaloo.

While Scootaloo was a bit happy about having food she also felt guilty, "Thanks Adara…but…I don't think we should…"

Adara did an about face and stared questioningly at her new friend, a worried expression steadily growing on her face.

"I'm sorry I should've asked if you even liked apples I just assumed –!"

"No, no, it's not that!" Scootaloo said quickly. "It's just that those belong to my friend Apple Bloom's family, this is all their land, so…"

Adara seemed to figure out just what she meant, "Oh…well…How about we eat just the two?"

Two wasn't bad, out of the ten she picked, although she still felt guilty her hunger won out in the end. The filly's slowly munched on their large apples, savoring the juicy sweet taste. Scootaloo and Adara talked long, well it was Scootaloo who did most of the talking, Adara just wanted to know more about what she and her friends did as Cutie Mark Crusaders. There was a little miniature alarm clock that read ten o'clock on the table. Scootaloo yawned and stretched her forelegs.

"I think it's time we hit the hay," said Scootaloo.

"Sounds good to me, it's been a long day," replied Adara.

Scootaloo went over to one of her secret caches and pulled out a large blanket and draped it over the rug in the middle of the clubhouse. The little orange filly wiggled herself underneath the wool blanket and laid down on her stomach. She then watched as Adara laid down across from her, cocking an eyebrow the orange filly just had to ask.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to sleep, I thought that's what you said," asked Adara.

"Well yeah, but you don't have to be over there. It gets pretty cold around this time of year, and this blanket and rug will be a lot warmer than the floor." Scootaloo used her foreleg and gently lifted the blanket, making an opening for her new friend to enter.

"You…you want me to sleep next to you…?"

Something about the way Adara sounded made Scootaloo blush for some unknown reason.

"I mean, you know it gets drafty in here sometimes – I need to talk to Apple Bloom about that someday – but I didn't mean anything weird by it!" Scootaloo confessed.

_Why am I acting like such a spaz right now!?_

"Well…as-as long as you're okay with it…"

Adara rose up and trotted over to Scootaloo, she then maneuvered herself into the space provided by the orange pegasus and gently laid down. Scootaloo couldn't help but notice how quickly it warmed up under the blanket, not uncomfortably, more like a warm feeling of falling asleep by a fire, and it was honestly making her feel a bit drowsy and peaceful.

"So are you staying in Ponyville long, or just passing through," she asked.

"I don't know, I've been traveling for a while now, just trying to find the right place to settle I guess," said Adara.

Scootaloo lowered her head and rested it on her forelegs. "Ponyville isn't a bad place stay, especially when you have friends that make it worth staying."

"That's nice to know."

Scootaloo didn't know why, but she suddenly felt herself snuggle closer to the blue filly. Adara didn't seem to flinch or shirk away, instead she felt something else. A single wing draped upon her back underneath the covers. If it wasn't for the warmth and her lulling into sleep Scootaloo would've been more shocked and embarrassed. Draping a wing over another was, to a pegasus, a sign of closeness, reserved only for parents and their children, very close friends, or even…

"A-Adara…?"

"Yes?"

Scootaloo gulped, "Your wing…"

"Is it bothering you," asked Adara.

Scootaloo turned to face the filly, Adara was resting her head on her forelegs in much the same way she was. When Scootaloo looked into those cerulean eyes something inside them resonated with her, something she knew all too well.

"No, it isn't. Goodnight Adara…"

"Goodnight Scootaloo…"

* * *

(Dawn)

Adara watched as the sun began to rise above the trees of the orchard, having used her powers to open the curtains. She then looked down at the filly snuggled up against her, and then to the eight apples that were still on the table. Adara's eyes flashed with blue light and suddenly a field of energy wrapped around all eight apples. They gently hovered towards her, Adara looked from the fruit and then back to Scootaloo, a smile slowly started to creep onto her lips.

_You would forgo an ample supply of food, and suffer hunger rather than steal from your friend. _

Adara raised her right hoof which had the same colored aura about it. The door to the clubhouse opened, and with another wave of her hoof, the apples flew outside in a single file line, with the door closing behind them. She then felt a stirring beside her; Scootaloo let out a yawn and slowly opened her eyes. Adara moved her wing and watched as her friend began moving from the warmth of the blanket. Scootaloo shivered a bit, the slightly brisk air not to her liking, she then quickly returned back to the warmth of her blanket, cocooning herself the best she could.

Adara giggled at Scootaloo, but laughed when said filly popped her head out and set her gaze on the blue pegasus.

"Good morning," said Adara.

"Y-you're still here," asked Scootaloo.

"Yeeeesss…did-did you want me to leave?"

"No! Ugh! Open mouth insert hoof." Scootaloo calmed herself before speaking again. "No I mean I didn't know if you would still be here. You said you were moving around so I just assumed you'd be gone before I woke up, sorry."

"Oh, no harm done," she said with a smile.

Now looking fully awake, Scootaloo got out from under the blanket and began to stretch her limps, groaning from each movement. It was then that something dawned upon the orange filly that made her right eye twitch.

"Hey what time is it, it's past dawn right!?"

"Yes."

"Oh no, Apple Bloom and her family wake up early! I need to clean up the place! Would you mind lending me a hoof Adara," asked Scootaloo.

"Be happy to."

"Great! I'm going to go move my scooter and wagon outside, I'll be back and lend you a hoof!"

Scootaloo quickly went out the door, leaving Adara alone inside the clubhouse. Once sure that her friend was gone the blue filly pegasus went to work. Her body glowed with blue energy, swiftly and quickly the room was washed in blue light. Items were returned to their designated spots, the blanket was folded and placed back in its hiding spot, the remains of their dinner was tossed out the window, gaining good distance and landing somewhere in the next town. Finally, a fine layer of dust was lifted off everything in the clubhouse. Adara then collected it into a ball and then began to compress it, smaller and smaller she made it, till it was no bigger than the size of a grain of sand, and then finally, poof, it was gone.

Adara looked around the clubhouse, a bit of pride welling up in her heart at the fine work she did, now hopefully it met her new friend's expectations. At that moment Adara heard the tapping of hooves coming up the walkway, she quickly dispelled her aura and pretended to do something. Just then Scootaloo opened up the door and gasped at what she saw. The entire room was almost sparkling, as if an entire team of cleaners had come in and made the place shine.

"Adara…did you do this?"

"Y-yeah…too much?"

"No way, this is awesome," exclaimed Scootaloo.

"Oh thank you," said Adara, feeling a bit happy at her complement.

"C'mon, we need to get out of here, follow me!"

Adara watched as Scootaloo ran outside and down the walkway, when Adara got outside she saw the orange filly strap on her helmet and get on her scooter, motioning with her hoof, Scootaloo's wings buzzed as they propelled her and zoomed away.

The blue pegasus extended her wings and leapt up into the air, now following the mobile filly from up above. The two of them continued onward till they were clear off of Apple Family property, even going further down the dirt road. Scootaloo stopped her scooter, skidding to a halt. Adara noticed this and flew down, landing beside her.

"Thanks for all your help this morning Adara, and thanks again for saving my life," said Scootaloo.

"No problem, just promise me you won't go leaping off of any more cliffs," asked Adara.

The two fillies shared a light hearted laugh. Scootaloo's laughter started to die out a little, making Adara wonder and worry as the filly's expression became a little sad.

"I guess you'll be leaving, I don't know if I'll see you again, but if you ever fly by Ponyville again…well…you know where to find me."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I think I'll stay," said Adara.

Scootaloo's sad expression quickly disappeared upon hearing this bit of news.

"Seriously, I thought you were only passing through!?"

"I was, but, you did say that Ponyville wasn't a bad place to stay, especially when you have friends that make it worth staying."

Scootaloo's cheeks turned a noticeable shade of pink upon hearing those words repeated to her, apparently in disbelieve that she could say something that sappy. After shaking her head to make sure the blush was gone, the orange pegasus filly regained her more confident bravado.

"Well then let's head into town, the Cakes at Sugar Cube Corner usually give out free samples to early risers!"

"Let's go!"

With that Adara and Scootaloo took off in the direction of the town proper. Adara would look down from time to time, admiring the filly below her, not from afar, but up close. The thought of staying in this quaint little town, so full of hope, alongside one who practically exhumed it, made her heart flutter. Scootaloo looked up for just a second smiled, and then winked at her flying friend. The action, for some unknown reason, made same said heart skip a beat and made Adara's cheeks feel hot.

_Oh dear…!_


	3. Prologue III: I am Proselyte

_Such a lovely day_, she thought.

The birds were singing, the little critters were scurrying about, and Harry the bear enjoying was some tea on a picnic blanket. Fluttershy was out having one of her usual Critter Picnics. Harry the bear was in attendance of course, not being able to get enough of the kind mare's honey toast. A few of the beavers were there as well, opting to chew on wood and occasionally asking for some tea to wash down their meal. Angel bunny was there was as well, it was somewhat hard to get the cranky rabbit to join the picnics. He didn't much mind when it was the two of them, but some of the other critters did get on his nerves.

Fluttershy's picnic was taking place in a nice clearing in White Tail Wood; butterflies were flying about across from the picnic, settling on some flowers. From far away Fluttershy could see that some foals were playing. One was a little filly earth pony, with a unicorn colt who couldn't be more than a year or two older than the filly. Fluttershy had seen them around town; they were brother and sister, a pair of nice and rambunctious siblings.

Suddenly the little filly, while running around chasing after her brother, tripped on a rock and fell over, tumbling about till she landed up against a tree. The filly began to cry and Fluttershy immediately shot up and flared her wings prepared to rush to her side, but she didn't need to. The filly's brother quickly rushed to his sister's side, she couldn't make out what the older brother said to her, but whatever it was it seemed to be just what she needed to hear. The filly's eyes were still watering, but she had stopped crying. The unicorn colt then used his telekinesis to left his little sister off the ground and onto his back.

Although still watery eyed, the filly smiled at her brother, and the brother to his little sister. The two then left the woods in the direction towards Ponyville, probably going home, or to get the little filly a treat. Fluttershy laid back down on the blanket, smiling warmly at what she witnessed, but also feeling a bit sad.

_What a nice big brother…_

The other critters were able to pick up on the change in their caretaker's mood. They chirped, squawked, and squeaked, asking if she was alright. Fluttershy realized that her animal friends were worried and she quickly gave them her best confident smile.

"Don't worry I'm fine, really," she said.

While some were only half convinced, a certain white rabbit was not. He crossed his front legs and glared up at his owner, tapping his one foot as if waiting for an explanation he was owed.

"Angel, really I am…it's just…seeing them…brought back some memories…"

Angel stopped tapping his foot and uncrossed his paws. The usually irate rabbit seemed to know what Fluttershy was talking about and decided to drop it, those words were enough to confirm what she was saying without anymore being said.

Fluttershy sighed heavily, she then looked up into the blue sky, a few clouds wafted by, a memory she tried not to remember too much found itself creeping back to the forefront of her mind.

"Head Wind," she whispered.

"Fluttershy…"

The cream colored mare's head shot up at the sound of her name.

"Head Wind?"

"Fluttershy…!"

The pegasus mare shot up once again, looking around in many directions, making her animal friends worry even more. The look in Fluttershy's eyes was desperate.

"Head Wind is that you!?"

"FLUTTERSHY!"

That's when the voice came in more clearly; Fluttershy looked straight up and found not this mysterious Head Wind, but instead a rainbow maned mare quickly coming to a midair stop just above her. Fluttershy was one part relieved that she wasn't going crazy, and two parts sad that it wasn't who she thought it was. But something else made those feelings change when she saw the look on Rainbow Dash's face, it was panicked, and not much panicked the daredevil mare.

"Rainbow Dash what's wrong!?" Fluttershy asked.

"You have to come quick; Cloudsdale is in trouble – BIG TROUBLE!" Rainbow shouted.

"Trouble, from who, what, why," she asked.

"No time – Twilight's waiting – army of Royal Guard ponies – Big _BIG_ trouble!"

Without warning the cyan pegasus swiftly scooped up her long time friend and carried her into the air. Fluttershy's confused and terrified screams could be heard echoing through the woods and sky as they soon receded and began to fade. The critters and Angel all looked at each in confusion. After a collective shrug, they all went back to enjoying the picnic. This wasn't the first time their pegasus caretaker was whisked away by the rainbow maned pegasus and it wouldn't be the last.

* * *

(In the skies, ten miles from Cloudsdale)

"Oh…my…"

That's all that Fluttershy could say upon seeing the sight before her. A large number of the Elite Royal Guard pegasi were assembled, ten battalions, all armed and ready to engage in battle. Twilight was at the head of the army, standing on a cloud as she peered through some binoculars. Fluttershy looked in the direction that the newly crowned Princess was staring at; she nearly stopped flying when she saw it. A giant storm front was heading towards them, spewing lightning, roaring with thunder – no it wasn't thunder – well it was thunder, but there was something else mixed in with the sound, something that Fluttershy couldn't quite put her hoof on.

Rainbow Dash led the shy mare through the ranks of soldiers, landing on the large cloud that Twilight was on. The magical mare turned around quickly hugged her friend, happy to see her.

"Fluttershy, I'm glad you came!" Twilight said.

"No problem Twilight, but, why am I here?"

Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, who was now staring out at the storm front that was slowly making its way towards them.

"Rainbow Dash, didn't you tell Fluttershy what's going on!?"

"Sorry Twi, I was a little too focused on getting her here," said Rainbow Dash, barely sparing a glance.

Twilight let out a frustrated sigh, "Alright, here's the situation: approximately five hours ago a massive storm front was seen making its way from the Badlands. It's already left a trail of destruction in its wake and is now heading towards Cloudsdale, if it keeps going Ponyville will be next, and then Canterlot!"

Fluttershy gulped, "Tha-that's horrible Twilight, but I don't see why I'm here? Did you need the Elements of Harmony, are Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack on their way too!?"

"No Fluttershy, this isn't some supernatural or villainous attempt to destroy Equestria, rather, it's more along the lines of natural."

"What do you mean," asked Fluttershy.

"Take a look."

The purple alicorn used her telekinesis to levitate the binoculars up to eye level, pointed straight at the storm front. Fluttershy cautiously stepped up and peered through them. Now she could see the storm, in all its fury. She could also see that there was something moving inside of that storm, something big. Fluttershy squinted her eyes, focusing on the movement inside the dark clouds, and that's when she saw it. Its body was a bright light blue; its wings were crackling as electrified wings discharged dozens of lightning bolts, its silver legs and beak sheened in the light of the storm, its eyes were two pools of glowing energy that seemed to wisp from the corners of its eyes. The beast was nearly fifty feet tall, with a wingspan of twenty feet. The three feathered crest upon its head seemed to shimmer with power as the giant bird released a powerful call that was a mixture between a falcon's screech and rolling thunder.

Fluttershy pulled back, she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Twilight that's-that's-that's a –!"

"A thunderbird, yes, and now you know why we need your help. I'm sorry to ask this of you Fluttershy, but you're the only one who can find out why the thunderbird is doing this, and maybe can convince it stop," said Twilight.

Fluttershy wasn't opposed to the idea, from what she could discern, the creature sounded pained. However, there was something that Fluttershy needed to know.

"What are you going to do if the thunderbird doesn't stop or change course," she asked.

Twilight looked down at the white cloud they were standing on, she then turned towards the storm cloud.

"If-If we can't stop the thunderbird through negotiation, or persuasion, then…I've been given authorization to stop it, by any means necessary…"

"Any means…" It took a minute for Fluttershy to put it together, the assembled army of Royal Guard ponies, her presence here at the frontline like some kind of commander. "Twilight Sparkle you wouldn't dare!?"

"What else do you expect me to do…? I've given the order to evacuate Cloudsdale, and every other town and city in its path…But that won't mean a thing if it decides to speed up or change course towards a place that isn't evacuated!" Twilight shouted.

"You want to kill that poor creature, how do you know it's doing this on purpose, for all you know it could be physically injured and lashing out! It's perfectly normal animal behavior," argued Fluttershy.

Twilight turned towards her friend, matching the angry glare in her eyes. "I don't want to _kill _it; I want it to _stop _destroying things and endangering everypony's life! But I _will _do what I have to in order to protect the lives of the many ponies who could be killed! That's why _you're _here!"

Fluttershy flared her wings angrily, she then looked at Twilight, and then towards the thunderbird.

"You won't kill it, I'm going to stop him," she said firmly.

"Good. Rainbow Dash will go with you, along with a squad of –"

"No. Just Rainbow Dash, I don't want any Guard ponies there to make him even angrier."

Twilight was hesitant about sending her shy friend into the raging storm of the thunderbird, but with time running out, the chances of somepony getting seriously hurt was rising steadily. It was then that Twilight looked towards Rainbow Dash, the prismatic mare finally spared her a glance, she nodded towards her, as if agreeing to Fluttershy's request.

"Alright, but be careful. If it gets to hairy out there get back here immediately," said Twilight.

"Is that an order, _Princess _Twilight," asked Fluttershy, her back turned as she spoke.

"Fluttershy…"

"Let's go Rainbow Dash."

Without barely speaking another word Fluttershy flew in the direction of the raging thunderbird. Rainbow Dash quickly took off after her longtime friend, worried about her state of mind concerning Twilight. The storm front continued to spout lightning and thunder, its avian conjurer still making its horrible screeches.

When Rainbow Dash caught up to Fluttershy, she could see the anger in her expression.

"Fluttershy, you didn't have to bite Twilight's head off like that, this whole thing wasn't her idea in the first place," said Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, I know Twilight's your marefriend, and I know you want to defend her, but right now I'm not in the mood," said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash's face became tad shade of red, which definitely showed through her cyan coat, both out of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Okay first of all: that's way over the line! Second: I'm serious about it not being her idea! When the ponies up in Canterlot found out about this, they got all freaked out. The Defense Minister guy told Princess Celestia and Luna that they needed to dispatch battalions of Royal Guards."

"…"

"Twilight didn't want to use Royal Guards, that's why she sent me to get you, but…"

"It's okay, I'm sorry, I'll apologize to Twilight later," said Fluttershy.

"Thanks…So…how long have you known about me and Twilight," asked Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy lost her angered expression and was replaced with her usual shy and embarrassed one.

"Um…about seven months now – but I swear I haven't told anypony!"

Rainbow Dash didn't have time to inquire any further as the two pegasi arrived at the squall line of the storm. Steeling their nerves they entered the storm, lightning fired from every direction, thunder roared in sync with the calls of the thunderbird. Something about them made Fluttershy wince, not because of the intensity.

Soon the two pegasi were close, not so close, but just enough to qualify as relatively "safe distance." Now that they were closer, the thunderbird was a little more intimidating. It didn't seem to notice them, and why shouldn't it, the two of them were practically the size of humming birds to this giant creature.

"Fluttershy, do you think you can talk that thing down!?" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"I'm going to try!"

Fluttershy dared to fly a little closer to the raging thunderbird. Its eyes still blazed with white electrical energy, its wings discharging one blast of lightning after the other. With an audible gulp, the pink maned pegasus began her negotiation with the thunderbird.

"Excuse me, Mr. Thunderbird, could you please –" Fluttershy quickly shifted to the right, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt. "I was wondering what could possibly be troubling you –!?" Another bolt flashed towards the cream colored pegasus, quickly descending a bit to let it fly over her head. "Please, I just want to help you if you would just –!"

The kind mare retreated back to where Rainbow Dash was; sensing that the "safe distance" was becoming less safe.

"Fluttershy that thunderbird isn't listening, what's up!?"

"I don't know, it's like he can't hear me!"

"Are you kidding, _I _can barely you over all this wind and thunder," said Rainbow Dash.

"No it's not that! I can communicate with animals not just with my voice, but with my feelings, and for some reason something is blocking me from reaching him," explained Fluttershy.

"Alright, I think it's time you used The Stare on him," suggested Rainbow.

Fluttershy looked back at the enraged thunderbird, wondering if her special ability, The Stare, would even affect it. Especially with its eyes filled to the brim with white lightning. As Fluttershy turned back to speak to Rainbow Dash, the brash mare quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved Fluttershy away.

"Rainbow Dash why did –!?"

Fluttershy soon got her answer, a strong blast of wind rushed by and slammed against Rainbow Dash, sending her flying out of the storm. Fluttershy knew what that was; it was something that all pegasi foals are taught to be watchful for when flying into storm clouds. A Micro Burst, a sudden and powerful blast of wind that can flatten an entire house and force a pegasus to plummet and crash into the ground, and Rainbow Dash just got hit with one.

"RAINBOW DASH!"

* * *

_Damn it, how could I let that happen!?_

Rainbow Dash was spinning rapidly in the air, out of control. The Micro Burst had almost literally knocked the wind out of her lungs, and nearly broke a rib bone or two.

Rainbow Dash tried to regain control, but the speed at which she was spinning threatened to snap her wings if she dared tried. She had kept her eyes shut tight, trying to stave off the dizziness that would ensue if she were to look.

That's when she felt it, Rainbow Dash had stopped spinning. There was a tingling feeling all around her; it was familiar, very familiar. When she opened her eyes Rainbow noticed that her entire body was covered in a magenta aura. Rainbow Dash then found herself right side up and staring at Twilight, her face full of worry.

"Rainbow Dash, are you alright!?"

"Y-y-yeah, although I feel like I just had the Cloudisium smash into me," said Rainbow.

"Thank goodness, what about Fluttershy," asked Twilight.

Rainbow's eyes suddenly shot wide open as she turned towards the storm.

"Oh my gosh, Fluttershy's still in there! Twilight let me go, I need to go and save her!"

"After you just got tossed around like a rag doll, no way, fall back and I…I'll…"

Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight in disbelief was she really about to purpose to do what she thought she was going to do.

"Twilight you can't do that, Fluttershy will never forgive you for that!"

"…I'll try and stop it, without using force, maybe I can –!"

Before Twilight could finish her thought a blur of purple shot passed the two of them, aiming straight for the storm front. Rainbow Dash and Twilight did a double take at how fast the streak was.

"What the hay was that!? Twilight, Twilight?"

The Princess of Magic didn't say a word; she only looked on in wonder. _Was that…?_

Fluttershy continued to dodge one lightning bolt after another, she couldn't give up on reaching the thunderbird, but there was no way she could reach out to it. Normally Fluttershy would be scared out of her mind and would've left by now; of course, she couldn't ignore this poor creature, not when its life was in danger.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy dodged yet another lightning bolt. The yellow pegasus mare decided to make one last attempt at trying to reach the raging thunderbird. She flew towards it yet again, nearly in front of the beast.

"Mr. Thunderbird, please listen to me! If you keep going you're going to be in trouble! They'll hurt you if you don't stop, please I know you're not bad, so just calm down and –!"

The thunderbird stared directly at Fluttershy, its white eyes shining with electrical power. The giant avian beast opened its beak, wind started to coalesce at the opening, becoming pressurized and condensed with each passing second. Fluttershy could tell what it was about to unleash, another Micro Burst aimed right at her. The shy mare did not falter; she stood her ground, so to speak, and held her gaze, radiating both seriousness and kindness.

"I won't give up on you!"

*SQUAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWKKKK!*

The thunderbird fired its Micro Burst; the blast distorted everything around it as it traveled towards Fluttershy. Before Fluttershy could wonder if this was a good idea or not she was pushed out of the way. The Micro Burst shot through the clouds, creating a hole to view Cloudsdale up ahead. The burst was a short ranged attack, so it didn't travel any further than the clouds.

Fluttershy looked down at her midsection and saw what pushed her out of the way was another pegasus. When they were both at a relatively "safe distance" the other pegasus stopped and parted with Fluttershy, allowing her to get a good look at her savior. It was a colt, about twelve years old, with a purple coat, dark purple tail and mane, and amethyst colored eyes. There was a strange cutie mark upon his flanks; it was a white circle with two triangles connected at the top and bottom.

"Are you hurt," asked the colt.

"N-no, I'm alright, are you," asked Fluttershy.

"Worry not about me, the raging one is more in need of help. You were trying to sooth him, were you not?"

"Um, yes, but he won't listen, or, maybe it's more like he can't…"

The young colt seemed to be looking over Fluttershy, as if judging something about her; he then turned his attention back to the thunderbird, noting the distance he had covered.

"You may be able to reach him, but you will need my help," said the colt.

"What, no, you can't stay here! You need to leave before you get hurt!"

"My well being is of little concern; if nothing is done then an innocent life may be snuffed out before its time. Please Miss, will you not aid me?"

Fluttershy looked at the colt, his eyes held strong, but behind them was a genuine concern for the thunderbird, a kind of compassion that she hadn't seen in a long time. It almost reminded her of a certain pony…_I won't back away, not again! _

"Okay!"

"You have great compassion, Miss, and I thank you."

"My name is Fluttershy, what's yours?"

The colt seemed to hesitate, wondering if it was okay to reveal his name to this mare. But something inside him told the young colt to trust this mare, if she was willing to help this creature at the risk of her life; surely there was no harm in telling her his name.

"I am Proselyte, but you may call me Lyte," he said.

Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them rushed off, one final attempt to get through to the thunderbird. The two pegasi finally caught up and moved in front of it. Proselyte hovered in midair, placing his two hooves together in a sort of prayer position.

"I'll help you in reaching out to the thunderbird, use your compassion and kindness to touch his heart, and free him of his anger!"

"But how, he can't…hear…me…"

Proselytes body began to glow with indigo light, flaring up like an inferno. His wings no longer flapped, being supported by the energy that surrounded his body. It was then that Fluttershy heard him speak in a language that wasn't Equestrian, or any other she'd ever heard of.

"_**Tor lorek san, bor naka mur,  
Natromo fann, tornek wot ur!  
Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,  
Taan lek lek nok, Formorrow Sur!"**_

Just then the aura surrounding Proselyte transformed, solidifying into seven tentacles made of indigo light. Two of the tentacles lashed out and grabbed hold of the thunderbirds right wing and right talon. Another two grabbed onto its left wing and left talon. The fifth and sixth tentacles wrapped around its body and closed its beak so that it could not fire another Micro Burst. It was at this time that Proselyte turned to Fluttershy, his eyes shining with the same power his body emanated.

"Miss Shy, please place your hooves on my shoulders, and concentrate on reaching out to him, I will give you a direct line to his heart and soul!"

Fluttershy was hesitant; here was a pegasus, a young colt, restraining a giant thunderbird with some sort of strange power. Now that she looked closer, she saw that his cutie marks were glowing as well. Although despite all this strange power, Fluttershy did not feel threatened by the colt. Which was strange, she was always shy around others, foals not as much, but you'd think she'd stay away from a foal that could tie up a thunderbird so easily. But Fluttershy had already resolved to not let this thunderbird be harmed, so, doing as Lyte instructed, she placed her hooves on his shoulders.

The aura latched onto Fluttershy, covering her entire body, she winced, expecting the energy to hurt, surprisingly though, it did not. Instead it felt warm, welcoming, calming, she felt safe. Lyte saw the content look in her eyes and proceeded to enact his plan. The seventh tentacle lashed out at great speed, aimed directly at the thunderbird's head. The point of the tentacle came to a soft stop. The tip gently touched the thrashing head of the avian storm bringer, immediately his body went still, the strange symbol appearing where the tentacle was now resting.

"Go…"

Fluttershy suddenly felt lighter than a feather, her world was now awash in indigo light, traveling down a tunnel made of the light. Faster and faster she felt her mind and soul speed through, Fluttershy could've sworn she was moving faster than Rainbow Dash when performing a Sonic Rainboom.

The cream colored pegasus was gradually slowing down, there was a gray space at the end of the tunnel, Fluttershy flapped her wings and entered the gray nexus. She flew, guided by a small light that flickered in the distance; something told Fluttershy that that was her target, the source. As she continued flying, her goal quickly coming into view, something happened. A giant wall made of red and yellow light appeared around the glimmer, barring Fluttershy from going any further. This was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"W-w-what is that!?"

"His heart is closed off by the lights of rage and fear, whatever turmoil he is going through, this wall is a manifestation of that," echoed Proselyte's voice.

"How am I supposed to get around it," asked Fluttershy.

"You cannot, you must go through it."

"WHAT!?"

"I can weaken the light of rage, but fear must be conquered with compassion."

Suddenly from behind Fluttershy, a ray of blue light shined down upon the wall. The red light that made up half the wall seemed to react violently to it, but dimmed considerably, now all that was left was the yellow light, which was sending out an aura of fear. Fluttershy could feel it making her fearful. Suddenly all the worries and doubts, all the things she feared, were rising up from within her. The indigo aura surrounding her was steadily starting to change to the same color as the yellow light, drawing her in.

"You mustn't let your fears overpower you Miss Shy, you are stronger than fear," said Proselyte.

"No…I'm not, I'm going to fail, just like with Head Wind! He'll die and it'll be all my fault!"

"Do not lose the compassion within you, beyond this wall is a creature seeking comfort, you are the only one who has a chance of quelling his rage and fear…"

Fluttershy looked at the wall of yellow light; a small light flickered behind it, calling out. Her fears were quickly dissipating; she concentrated on the light beyond the fear. The yellow light was soon overpowered by Fluttershy's indigo aura, till it disappeared altogether. With her courage restored Fluttershy flew at the wall, indigo and yellow light clashed, the wall screeching in protest of her intrusion. For a brief moment, the pink maned pegasus' eyes shined with the same power as Proselyte, her form becoming one with the energy. In a giant burst of power she blasted through the wall, destroying the wall of rage and fear.

Now she was able to see what lay behind the wall, it was a bird. It appeared to be a smaller version of the thunderbird; it was crying tears of light. Its faint light blue aura was bright within the gray nexus; the small bird didn't seem to notice Fluttershy, who was now back to normal. Her protective indigo aura shined down upon the small bird, who had now taken notice of her.

"Shh, it's okay, what's the matter little one," asked Fluttershy.

"I-I-I can't find my mommy," said the blue bird.

"Alright what's you name sweetie?"

"Storm…"

Fluttershy chuckled a bit at the irony of his name. "Storm, my name is Fluttershy, where did your mommy go?"

Storm sniffled as he wiped his beak with his left wing. "I don't know…?"

Fluttershy, with a kind expression, reached out to Storm. The little thunderbird seemed a bit nervous, but after looking into her eyes he seemed to understand that she wasn't here to hurt him. The moment Storm hopped into her hoof Fluttershy saw everything, his memories laid bare before her eyes as the indigo light showed her the source of his fear and anger. It was then that she looked down upon him with tearful, comforting eyes. She brought Storm close to her chest, and with the other hoof, gently stroked his head and back.

"You poor thing…"

"_**Nok...**_"

* * *

"Twilight what in the name of Celestia is going on in there!?"

The Royal Guard battalions were now in attack formation, ready to engage with the thunderbird the moment it got close to their battle line. But for the past couple of minutes Twilight and Rainbow Dash watched as the storm front was aglow with purple light. The storm itself had stopped dead in its tracks, which only made the alicorn and pegasus worry about the fate of their friend who was still inside.

"That's it, I'm going in," said Rainbow Dash.

"Wait a minute Rainbow; we don't know what's happening in there!" Twilight said.

"Look Fluttershy's alone in there, and I swear to Luna if that thing so much as hurt her I'll –!"

All of a sudden the storm front erupted with purple light, blinding all who looked upon it. The airborne ponies had to close their eyes or turn away, unable to face its brilliance. When the light finally dimmed all were able to get a good look. There was the thunderbird, no longer was it discharging lightning, nor were its eyes white as snow. Instead, its feathers were a pristine light blue that gave off a nice sheen in the sunlight, its long tail feathers undulated up and down with each flap of its mighty wings.

The large bird started to descend downwards, it wasn't diving, and it wasn't plummeting, it was just slowly going down. All the pegasi Royal Guards followed after it, with Twilight and Rainbow Dash flying ahead of them. Luckily the thunderbird found a large enough clearing down below, its large talons touched the ground, gently laying down and bringing its head to a rest on the soft grass. The Princess of Magic and Wonderbolt trainee touched down just a few feet away. Rainbow Dash was about to lash out at the thunderbird, but that was before she saw her long time friend sitting on top of the bird's head, along with another pegasus that she didn't recognize.

Fluttershy jumped off its head and gently flew down to the ground, with the mysterious colt following close behind. Twilight and Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it, she was alright, and she managed to calm the thunderbird, although it looked really sad for some reason. One of the Royal Guard ponies trotted up next to the new Princess and whispered into her ear.

"Do you wish for us to restrain it, Princess," he asked.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary," said Twilight.

"But ma'am, that thing nearly came close to destroying Cloudsdale, not mention the other towns and villages it already devastated along the way. I strongly insist that we tie it down before it has the chance to resume its rampage."

"Commander, I'm a Princess, am I not?"

"Well yes."

"And as a Princess, I carry the same authority as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, even in matters such as these, don't I?"

"Yes you do, but –"

"Then this is an order, you and the other Royal Guards are not to engage or approach the thunderbird unless _I _give you the order to, is that understood," asked Twilight, her voice having a noticeable edge to it.

"Yes, your highness…"

The Royal Guard commander flew away to relay the message to the other troops. Once out of range and earshot, Rainbow Dash trotted up to Twilight and gave her a peck on the cheek, earning a fierce blush from the alicorn of magic.

"W-what was that for!?" Twilight asked, placing a hoof on the spot Rainbow just kissed.

"That's for being an awesome Princess and this…" Rainbow Dash quickly moved in and kissed Twilight fully on the lips, it was about ten seconds before she pulled away and grinned at her marefriend. "That's for being the coolest marefriend I could ask for."

Twilight smiled at the comment, but she quickly regained her composure, trying not to let Rainbow Dash's displays of affection distract her from the matter at hoof.

"Thanks Dashie, ahem, c'mon, we need to talk to Fluttershy."

The couple trotted slowly towards their location, being weary to not startle the thunderbird, lest the whole event start up all over again. They were about ten feet from the thunderbird and waited for Fluttershy's okay to continue. Their friend waved a hoof at them, gesturing for them to come closer. Once they arrived they were able to see just how sad the thunderbird was, the rage it had before seemed to have utterly disappeared, it was hard to believe this beautiful creature could become such a force of destruction.

"Fluttershy, you alright," asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm fine, but…Storm's another story," she said.

"Is that his name, did you find out why he did all this," asked Twilight.

Fluttershy looked saddened by the request, it seemed that the young colt beside her caught onto her sadness and stepped forward. "I'll answer that."

Rainbow Dash looked down at the colt, suspiciously. "Who the hay are you, and where did you come from?"

"My name is Proselyte, I was flying by and saw what was happening and did what I could to help Miss Shy get through to Storm," he said.

Rainbow Dash leaned in close to Twilight and whispered into her ear, "I don't like the looks of this kid Twi, what kind of name is 'Proselyte,' and what's with that weird cutie mark?"

"Let's just hear him out Rainbow, besides, he helped Fluttershy, he can't be all that bad," whispered Twilight. "Please tell us what happened."

"Ahem, Storm here is a young thunderbird. He originated in the Badlands where he and his mother resided. One day, when they were out flying, a pack of Hydras attacked them…"

"Badland Hydras…"

"What, you've dealt with a Hydra before, they got nothing on thunderbirds," said Rainbow Dash.

"The one at Froggy Bottom Bog is of a lesser species of Hydras, Badland Hydras are twice as big, with five extra heads, have acid venom, and are deadly fierce! They're the alpha type Hydras, the most deadly, and a pack consists of at least seven Hydras, so seven times nine heads, that's sixty-four acid-spitting-heads versus one adult thunderbird and one young thunderbird…"

Rainbow Dash was silent, allowing Lyte to continue.

"The young one, Storm, watched his mother die in front of him, she protected him the best she could. Storm was filled with rage and fear, lost, he tapped into his weather manipulation powers, and created this storm front, but thankfully, Miss Shy was able to calm him," finished Proselyte.

Twilight eyed the young purple pegasus, his short cut mane partially covering his right eye. She also noticed that Fluttershy seemed surprised by his statement, but tried to keep her attention on soothing Storm.

"So," Twilight began, "is he going to be alright?"

"He really has no place to go Twilight, his mother's gone, and his home is overrun with Hydras –"

Storm raised his head a little and looked upon the gathered ponies; he then let out a few chirps and squawks. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had no idea what the thunderbird was saying, but it seemed clear that Fluttershy, and even Lyte, understood what he was saying.

"Storm no, you can't just leave!" Fluttershy gasped.

"What, what's he saying," asked Rainbow Dash.

"He says 'I'm sorry for all the damage I've caused, and for those I may've hurt. I do not wish to be a burden to you, I will leave, please don't worry about me,'" said Proselyte translating.

"NO!"

All, even Storm, seemed startled by Fluttershy's harsh tone. The pegasus mare looked at Twilight with pleading eyes, desperate even. It honestly made her feel a little uneasy.

"Twilight, please, is there anything you could do to help him!? Please!?"

Twilight thought about it, long and hard. Storm was no longer a threat, if anything he was apologetic about his actions. And, to be completely honest, if she had lost somepony she cared about that much, Twilight doubted she wouldn't act any differently. That's when her gaze drifted towards Rainbow Dash, she too was wondering what Twilight's decision would be. For a brief moment Twilight imagined would happen if she lost Rainbow Dash, she almost started to cry.

"I'll talk to Princess Celestia, but for now, I think it best that Storm stay here. Is that fare for now," asked Twilight.

Fluttershy nodded, smiling and somewhat relieved. Twilight's gaze fell to the young pegasus he was now looking back at her, giving the Princess of Magic a confident grin, bowing his head a little.

* * *

(Fluttershy's Cottage, 3 days later)

The incident with the thunderbird Storm had been pacified. He had been moved to a reserve near Canterlot, where Fluttershy could visit, and where he wouldn't be alone. Proselyte had taken trips, in secret, to check in on Storm. The thunderbird would often thank him for helping Fluttershy to reach him in his distraught state.

Recently though, the purple pegasus had found himself drawn to the shy mare. He had disappeared when Storm was moved and hadn't been seen since. Although, he found himself drawn to the mare he met that day. Compassion, true compassion, was something seldom felt, but it was strong in that mare, Fluttershy.

Maybe it was for that reason he came to see her, well, at least to see her. Proselyte was standing on the edge of the forest near Fluttershy's cottage, watching her from a distance. He watched as she took care of the animals, some very small, others large and intimidating. Through his eyes he could see the indigo light surround the area; compassion's light was strong here. He had to mask his presence by emitting some his own energy, to convey to other animals close by that he wasn't a threat to the winged caretaker.

At the very least he wanted to see how she was doing. _This is silly; I'm an omni-powerful entity of compassion, why should I be anxious about meeting with this mare. _

Proselyte trotted along, following the trail to the cottage on the hill. Fluttershy seemed to be in the middle of feeding her various animal companions; Proselyte stopped at the gate entrance and called out to her.

"Miss Shy?"

"EEEP!"

Proselyte watched as the cream colored mare shot up into the sky, with a rather impressive amount of speed, and hung onto a tuft of cloud that was floating in the sky.

"Miss Shy, are you alright," asked Proselyte as he stared up at her.

At that moment Proselyte felt a thumping against his right hoof. When he looked down he saw a little white rabbit kicking him repeatedly. He could sense the little rabbit's anger, he was quite irate.

"I am sorry; I did not mean to frighten her."

" #$%!"

"I certainly _do not_ wish to cause her harm."

" #$%!"

"You're quite the foul mouthed little creature aren't you," said Proselyte.

"** #$%!**"

"Excuse me, what!?"

"Lyte…?"

The purple pegasus colt looked up and saw that Fluttershy was already descending towards them. She landed a couple of feet from him, her expression happy and relieved.

"It is you Lyte! I was so worried!"

"Sorry, I scared you," he apologized.

"No, not that, after what happened with Storm you disappeared, I didn't know if you were hurt or –!" Fluttershy stopped her little rant and blushed a bit. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have been so worried about you, not after what I saw you can do."

Proselyte rubbed the back of his hoof at that statement, "Yes…you didn't tell anyone about what I can do…did you?"

"Oh no, I didn't. I promised didn't I," she said smiling. "Do you want to come in for some tea, I just finished feeding my animal friends, so I have time to chat, that is, of course, if you don't mind?"

"No…no I don't, thank you."

Fluttershy began to lead Proselyte into her cottage; the little white rabbit was hopping alongside her. He looked back at Proselyte, he pointed his paw at his eyes and then back at him. The colt used his powers to peer into the rabbit and noticed that he was mostly filled with red light. _Not surprising_. But he also saw something else, at his center, was a sizeable amount of violet light. _For all his bravado, he seems to genuinely care about her. I guess that is acceptable, for now. _

"Oh Lyte, what was that chant you were saying back then," asked Fluttershy.

"It is a type of oath, it helps me to focus my power," he said.

"So then that word, 'nok,' it seemed to have a different meaning when you said it alone."

Proselyte stopped in his tracks and stared wide eyed at Fluttershy. "You could understand the language!?"

"Well…not all of it, just that one word at the end, I think you said 'compassion be with you.' Is that right?"

Proselyte nodded, confirming that that was its meaning. _Her connection to my light is stronger than I thought…_


	4. Prologue IV: Call me Predator

The Crystal Empire, once ruled by an evil tyrant king, its citizens forced to be his slaves; a kingdom once lost to the passages of time was now thriving and as beautiful as ever. Thanks in no small part to six mares, a dragon, and a royal couple who now ruled over the land. At the moment the crystal ponies seemed to be on edge, some looking up at the Crystal Palace with anxious gazes, as if worrying something would burst forth from its sparkling halls and attack them. But for the moment that wasn't the case, so they tried to go about their day.

Inside, Princess Cadance was entertaining a guest, a newcomer to both the Crystal Empire and Equestria itself. She was lying on a cushion across from her guest. The other pony was a unicorn mare of sixteen, with a dark pink coat. Her long mane and tail were pink, with red highlights. Her eyes were a brilliant violet color; it was as if beauty and ferocity were mixed together within those eyes. Her cutie mark was that of an eight pointed star, an odd cutie mark, but Cadance knew of its origins.

"I must say Princess Cadenza, it's such wondrous thing to meet another who shares in my power," said the unicorn excitedly.

"T-thank you, but please, call me Cadance."

"Oh, my apologies, Cadance, but honestly, I've never felt this much love energy upon one world, it's almost overwhelming, how do you cope with it!?"

"Well it's actually not that hard, but –"

"And this Empire," the unicorn mare stood up from her cushion and moved around the room, "such beautiful crystals, they shine so brilliantly, and so do the citizens! Tell me, are they actually made of crystal or are they just magically enchanted to look like that?"

"It's an interesting story, but please could you –"

"You simply must show me around your Empire, I want to hear all about it –!"

"PREDATOR!"

The pink unicorn mare went silent and stared at Cadance.

"Sorry, Predator, I would love to show you around, but could you please do me one little favor?"

Predator smiled happily, "Of course, anything."

"Would you please release my husband," she asked pointing a hoof towards the other side of the room.

There was Shining Armor, the older brother of Twilight Sparkle, Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal of Empire, and he was trapped in large violet crystal pillar with a look that was a mixture of anger and shock. Predator frowned.

"Must I, we were having such a wonderful time. And it's not as if it's hurting him, if anything I'm sure he's enjoying being in there. The crystal puts him in a state of suspended animation and shows him his desires," she said.

"Be that as it may, Shining Armor is my husband and if you're going to be living here that means you'll also be staying here with him as well."

Predator sighed, "Very well, but keep in mind I did it out of self-defense."

Cadance just smacked herself on the forehead at that statement. Predator's horn glowed with violet light, with flash of energy the crystal prison shattered completely, releasing Shining Armor. The white unicorn stallion shook his head multiple times, holding a hoof to his head. Cadance moved towards her husband and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"Honey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so. I was having some weird dreams…well not weird, they were nice dreams, about you and…" Shining Armor quickly went silent as his cheeks went red.

"What, what did you see," asked Cadance.

"Probably something he's always desired of you, but was afraid to ask," said Predator.

That's when Shining Armor, grateful for the distraction, looked upon the unicorn mare curiously. "Hello Miss, um, who are you, I don't believe we've met."

"Oh we did, I just wasn't in this form when we did."

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow, Cadance decided to fill in the gaps. "You might want to sit down; this is going to be a long story. Do you remember when I was summoned to Cantertlot a few days ago?"

Shining Armor rubbed his chin, trying to recall that particular day. After about a minute the metaphorical light bulb clicked and he nodded in confirmation.

"Well…"

* * *

(Canterlot, a few hours ago)

Cadance was walking down the grand halls of the Royal Palace. She, along with Twilight and her Aunts, had found out that the other three entities had all somehow settled in Ponyville. Cadance didn't know if that was for best, seeing as how some natural disaster or world ending scenario usually starts there, and having the entities of willpower, hope, and compassion there did little to ease her mind. However, the fourth would be a different story. The Entity had tasked Princess Cadance with a mission concerning the fourth entity, one that she wasn't sure she could accomplish.

"_Help her understand love?" What kind of a request is that, the fourth is supposed to be love incarnate, my title may be the "Princess of Love," but compared to her I might as well be a considered little more than a fly, probably less than that._

Cadance sighed.

_Oh well, I can't really ignore this, who knows, I might be able to help. Hope Shining Armor's ready to receive a new house guest, _she thought.

The pink alicorn made it to the large double doors of the west wing; she knocked on the doors with a hoof, announcing her presence.

"Enter," said a voice from within.

Cadance used her telekinesis to open the one of the doors; suddenly her vision was filled with violet light, making her squint her eyes in order to see. The light dimmed a bit, allowing her to see a young, dark pink unicorn mare standing at the epicenter of the light. It dimmed down considerably, allowing her to look upon the mare more clearly. When the young mare spotted the alicorn her expression lightened, she smiled widely as she approached.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, you came to see me!"

"O-Of course, why wouldn't I," asked Cadance.

"I just thought after you first saw me in my true form you'd be a little apprehensive about seeing me again…not everyone is as accepting that a creature like myself is the entity of love," said the mare frowning.

"Predator, it's fine. I'm not going to pretend I understand why you all look the way you do, but that's just how you were born, and what you all came to be, besides, I think your true form sorta captures what love is, fierce and powerful."

The young unicorn's eyes lit up upon hearing those words of praise and moved in to embrace Cadance. The pink alicorn felt a surge of energy flow through her body whenever she came into contact with Predator; she was love energy in its purest form, given life. Her own special talent allowed Cadance to feel the love of other ponies, but with Predator latched onto her, it was as if she became an antenna of for every living creature's amorous affections. So, rather quickly, Cadance broke the embrace, smiling gently at Predator.

"So, what did you wish to discuss with me, Mi Amore Cadenza?"

"Ahem, well, since it appears that your fellow entities have settled in I thought it was about time you did as well," said Cadance.

Predator's ears flattened against her skull, her expression becoming worried. "You're going to send me away…? Am I to go where the others are?"

"No, the opposite in fact, Ponyville is…let's just say it has one too many power players for my comfort, and I don't want to add a fourth. So, I was wondering if you wanted to come and live with me in my kingdom."

Predator lit up once again, her ears perked up, eyes glittering. "The Crystal Empire, I've heard that's where you live, yes I would love to!"

"Good, well, when you're ready, I have a carriage waiting to take us –"

"Oh no, that will not do for one who wields the same power as I! We will return to your Empire in a fashion more befitting of our titles!"

"O-Okay…just what did you have in mi –?"

"_**For hearts long lost and full of fright,  
For those alone in Blackest Night.  
Accept this power and join our fight,  
Love conquers all with violet light!"**_

Another flash of violet light engulfed the room; it was powerful, and brighter than the previous flash before. Suddenly Cadance heard a loud boom, a rush of cool air swept over her body, along with some dust, making her cough and sneeze a bit. When the light faded Cadance gasped at what she saw. A creature with a violet crystal like exoskeleton, standing a hundred feet tall, four arms with razor sharp talons, and large dagger like fangs, was now looming just a few feet outside the broken wall of the palace. Predator's true form, which exhumed a powerful love aura, was only matched by her intimidating and monstrous appearance.

"P-Predator what are you doing!?"

_"As I said, we will away to your Empire in a fashion most befitting our titles! And what better way than for the both us to arrive together, with our power radiating down upon your subjects," _said Predator.

"That's a nice idea, but remember, the Entity said that you and the others were to keep a low profile and –!"

Cadance suddenly felt something coil around her midsection, the next thing she realized she hoisted into the air, and quickly placed on Predator's back. The large violet beast turned its head and looked at her fellow love wielder.

"_Then let us away with great haste! Point me in the direction of your Empire!"_

Knowing that it wouldn't take long before all of Canterlot was in a state of panic, Cadance frantically pointed her hoof to the north. With her direction made clear, Predator rose into the air and shot off towards the frozen north. The wind whistled in her ears as the land below them became a literal blur of colors. Being this close to Predator, in her true form was very overwhelming to Cadance. It brought up a lot of embarrassing feelings inside her, ones that she hadn't felt since she found her special talent and was a little overwhelmed about feeling the love energy of those around her. It led to some rather embarrassing situations, both humorous, humiliating, and some leaning a tad on the side of sensual. It felt like when she was a filly all over again, only multiplied by the power of ten.

Cadance, feeling a little light headed, and hot, saw the landscape change beneath them. From the greens, blues, and browns of the lush land, now only white flowed. She barely felt the cold; in fact, Cadance didn't feel any of the cold. Predator's energy created a warm glow around them, keeping the bone chilling cold at bay. It wasn't long before Cadance saw the Empire come into view, it was the only place where the clouds were opened and sunlight shined down.

"_Is that it, is that your Empire?!" _Predator asked.

"Y-Y-Yes…!"

"_Are you feeling sick, am I going too fast?" _

Right now Cadance was wishing it was motion sickness, instead of this burning feeling within her. Soon Predator slowed down, allowing the distinct shapes and figures to come into focus. The crystal ponies down below all gasped, their faces frozen in shock and terror as Princess Cadance and the Predator came flying into the Crystal Empire. Many ran inside their homes, the newly inducted Diamond Knights had assembled around the Crystal Palace, all armored, wielding spears, shields, and swords. At the balcony of the palace, one guard, none crystal, wearing purple and gold armor, stood proud and fearless. This white unicorn stallion, horn glowing with a rosy aura, created a giant force field around the Crystal Palace.

"The nerve, your warriors bear arms at the sight of their Princess! And that one, he wishes to deny us entry! Well, challenge accepted!"

"Predator wait don't –!"

Too late, the violet beast swiped its talons at the barrier, easily shattering it with a single blow. The stallion was blown back the recoil of his spell being destroyed, but just as quickly regained his composure, ready to fight against the Predator.

"_Such a cocky male, to think he can match me. I do admire his courage and tenacity, you shall be spared!" _

Predator slammed its claws into the balcony; suddenly three trails of violet crystals rose up from the point of impact. The three strands became and snaked their way towards the stallion. He didn't have time to react, as the violet crystal surrounded him, shooting upwards and incasing him in a pillar made of the crystal. Satisfied that the stallion would no longer be a threat, Predator used her tail to gently grab Cadance, who looked positively flustered, and gently placed her on the undamaged portion of the balcony. Afterwards, her form changed to that of the teenage mare she was before as she joined Cadance on the balcony.

"Well that was fun," said Predator with a smile.

Cadance, now coming down off the euphoric love energy, was now able to fully grasp the situation at hoof.

* * *

(Present)

"So basically after that it took me hours to calm down the Diamond Knights, and even longer to reassure the citizens that Predator was not a threat to any of us," Cadance let out a long drawn out sigh, retelling the events thus far was a little more stressful than she had realized.

Shining Armor just sat there, going over the details about what Cadance had just told him. What was a little unsettling was that Predator was sitting next to Cadance, closer than the stallion would like after hearing that story. The unicorn stallion shook his head, bringing his train of thought back to the present elephant in the room.

"Okay, so, she'll be staying with us for…how long exactly?"

"Ahem, well, um, the entities are all going to live here in Equestria, indefinitely, so…for the time being…Predator will be staying with us, indefinitely," said Cadance, offering a weak smile to her husband.

Hearing the word "indefinitely" made Shining Armor feel uneasy, having a violet- colored-skeleton-crystal-love-raptor living with them for the foreseeable future was a little disconcerting. A feeling that was only made even worse by what he saw happen in front of him, Predator, without any shame, leaned up against Cadance and began to nuzzle the side of her neck. It wasn't a normal nuzzle, like one between friends or family, it was more like the kind that she would do for him, or vice versa, the nuzzle of a loving couple. Cadance was aware of Predator's nuzzle and tried not to let it bother her, but it was obvious to Shining Armor that it was, and he himself was getting a little ticked.

"Ahem! Cadance, do you mind if we step out for a minute, there's an important matter that needed our attention," said Shining Armor.

Cadance immediately caught onto her husband's distraction, "Oh darn, are they still having trouble with that silly tax law?! Ugh, alright, let's go hash it out before everypony starts rioting about the taxes."

Predator looked up at Cadance, "Ah, do you really have to go? I wanted see the Empire with you."

"I promise I'll give you the grand tour. But we are the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire, and duty calls."

Sighing deeply Predator nodded, "I understand, the joys of ruling do come with equal responsibilities. I will await your return."

With that said Cadance and Shining Armor rose up and left the room. The couple trotted down the hallway for about ten minutes before either one of them let out a heavy sigh of relief. Shining Armor slumped against the pillar closest to him, while Cadance just plopped herself on the floor.

"Thanks Shiny," said Cadance.

"No problem. Seriously though, what's her deal? She was nuzzling you like you two were dating or something," said Shining Armor.

"Cut her some slack, she's the Emotional Entity of Love itself, and with me being the Princess of Love, I guess she's taken a liking to me." Cadance let out a weak chuckle.

"Alright, but really, why is she living with us, not that I don't understand the reasoning, but…do you think it's safe, for anypony?"

Cadance got back on her hooves; she then moved towards the open window and stared out to her kingdom below. "I think I understand, a little, about why the Entity wanted me to look after her. When we were flying, I was surrounded by her violet light; normally I can feel the love of ponies nearby. But…when I was in that light, I felt the love of every pony, dragon, griffon, and animal within Equestria, and not just love like the one we share. But…other kinds…"

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at that, "'Other kinds,' what's that supposed to mean?"

Cadance turned her head and looked at her husband, her cheeks tinted with red. "Please don't make me say it Shining, it's really embarrassing…!"

"I don't understand what can be so embarrassing that…Oh…Oh – _OH_!" Shining Armor finally got it and his cheeks, too, were tinted red. "You, uh, you felt those kind of _things_…?"

"I used to when I was filly, when I first got my cutie mark, I could feel all sorts of love, even the more intimate types…needless to say it took a while before I could fully control what I was feeling, and now it's little more than a feeling in the back of my head. But after being with Predator," Cadance shook her head. "Never mind, point is, I felt something chaotic inside her, she's open to many different forms of love that she doesn't know which to follow."

"And that's what you're going to do, help her sort it out," asked Shining Armor.

"I'm going to try, but, I could really use her help, at least so that I can make sure that I'm still grounded."

Shining Armor trotted up to his wife and nuzzled her cheek, comforting the pink alicorn, his silent way of saying that he would be there to help her through this. He two of them then stared into each other's eyes, their muzzles slowly gravitating towards the other, eyes closing as they prepared to kiss…

*RUMBLE*

"Did I just feel the ground shake," asked Shining Armor.

"It does whenever I'm around you," responded Cadance.

*RUMBLE*

"There it is again," Shining Armor drew back.

"Shining c'mon, don't tease me like that –"

*KA-CHEEEEEENG*

*RUMBLE*

*CRASH*

This time Cadance definitely felt that. Both the husband and wife galloped down to where they felt the strong surges coming from. It was only now that Cadance could feel the energy coming from the direction of the room they left Predator in. She feared the worst.

They turned down the next corridor and gasped at what they saw. The door had been completely blown away. Cadance and Shining Armor sprinted to the blown entrance and dared to peer inside the room. Rosy-violet crystals permeated the room, no longer were they the bright hues of blue. Some jetted from the floor, creating large pillars, with several other tiny shards protruding from it. The bed was gone, now switched in favor of, what appeared to be, a nest which was neatly carved out of the same crystal.

The Co-rulers of the Crystal Empire stood there slack jawed at the transformation the room had gone through. Predator had been standing in the center of the room; she seemed to be surveying her recent changes to her, yet-to-be-decided, living space. When the dark pink mare turned her head she spotted the couple and smiled gleefully at them.

"Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, I decided to make a few alterations to this room. If you don't mind I'd like to keep this one, the view of the Empire from here wonderful. So, what do you think of my changes!?"

The Royal Couple shook their heads to snap them out of their daze. It was Shining Armor that found his voice first.

"Eh, yeah, it's…it's certainly is different Miss."

"Please Prince Shining Armor, call me Predator!" The dark pink mare struck a proud pose.

Shining Armor leaned close to Cadance in order to whisper into her ear.

"How long did you say she'd be staying here…?"

Cadance blushed, embarrassed at Predator's actions. She then gave him a sheepish smile.

"Heh, heh, uh…indefinitely…"


	5. Episode 1: Scootaloo, who are you?

Adara was dreaming peacefully, as she always did. As an entity, sleep was a foreign thing to her, but it was relaxing. She didn't really dream, she mostly wandered the dreamscape, her powers allowing her a glimpse into the long held hopes of many of the ponies in Equestria. She found that the dreams of the young foals were the strongest, each one dreaming of what their cutie mark would be, what they want to become when they were older.

Some wanted to be explorers, doctors, Wonderbolts, teachers, great magicians, and even strong and brave Royal Guards. Adara discarded her mortal form in favor of her true form. Within a dream you're liable to see many things you don't usually see in the real world, and a three faced, giant blue glowing bird definitely counts as one of those things.

Currently Adara was shifting from one dreamer to another, having just exited the dream of a young colt looking to profess his love for a young filly he admired. She decided to enter the dreams of a particular friend of hers, one that had taken her in and whose life she saved.

Adara was flying through the Astral Plain, a vast ephemeral universe that allowed all spiritually or magically aware beings to traverse and enter higher states of consciousness. It is often a dangerous thing to enter the Astral Plain, especially for those who are not centered enough, or lose their way when trying to return to their physical body. For an entity like Adara it was little more than second nature. The vast ethereal strands of energy, wafting about like sparkling stardust, it was a beautiful sight to behold, and one that she never got tired of seeing.

Soon Adara could see the twinkling of a distant star; it was how all dreams marked their location. Unfiltered, there would be many stars, enough to match the ones that hung in the night sky, but since Adara was looking for a specific dreamer all she needed to do was focus and fly towards that one star. Once upon it, Adara changed into cerulean light and shot straight into the star.

The scenery had changed a lot. She was no longer in the vast sparkling space, but instead she was in the bright blue skies. Adara glided through the air, wondering where Scootaloo was. It didn't take long before her keen eyes spotted a V formation of pegasi flying a few miles below her. Adara could easily spot Scootaloo; she was wearing a jumpsuit that resembled the famous aerial team known as the Wonderbolts, but it didn't seem to cover her body like the normal ones.

The formation zipped and zoomed around, performing loop-de-loops, spins, and different forms of aerial stunts. Soon the team of five made their way to a tall megalith pillar of land jetting clear into the sky. There were trees, grass, and even a runway on the mountain pillar, with dozens of pegasi flying around dressed in similar uniforms.

_The Wonderbolts Academy, you made mention of this once before. _

Scootaloo seemed to be much older, at least in her twenties; Adara had to admit she did look rather…MOVING ON.

The formation of ponies landed on the runway and quickly stood at attention. Soon a rainbow maned mare in uniform came trotting along; she marched up and down the line, staring behind black colored sunglasses. Around her neck was a clipboard and a stopwatch, both of which she looked back and forth from. She then turned her attention to the group, but from what Adara could tell, her gaze was more focused on Scootaloo.

"Your time was ten minutes, and five seconds. Not bad, but not record breaking good either," said the mare.

Scootaloo gave the uniformed pegasus a smart-alecky grin. "Kinda hard to do that when you're the one who holds the most amount of broken Academy records, ma'am."

"True, but that still doesn't mean that you couldn't do better, now give me one-hundred laps around the Academy – ON THE DOUBLE!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"YES MA'AM!"

As the other pegasi were about to take off Rainbow Dash flared open her left wing, making Scootaloo stop in her tracks. The orange pegasus mare looked up to her idol and drill sergeant confused. Rainbow Dash lifted her sunglasses, revealing her rose colored eyes; she then gave the young flyer a confident smirk.

"Not bad kid, now smoke those guys so we can go out and get some grub."

"You got it," said Scootaloo.

With that said Rainbow Dash lowered her sunglasses and folded her wing to allow Scootaloo to take off. She was fast, ridiculously fast, zooming past her fellow cadets and leaving behind an almost fiery orange streak in her wake. Adara watched as the grown mare wore a bright smile upon her face, knowing her idol and sister figure was watching her from below, silently cheering her on as she zoomed through the bright blue skies.

The Entity of Hope couldn't help but let a smile appear on her three different beaks, a happy feeling in her heart as she watched the dream unfurl before her.

"Her dreams are quite inspiring, wouldn't you agree?"

Adara was pulled away from watching Scootaloo, startled as she heard a voice that was not her own or any of the other dream ponies. She turned to her right and saw a midnight-blue alicorn floating next to her. The alicorn had a starry mane and tail, undulating of their accord, her brilliant turquoise eyes looking up at Adara as she gave the blue, three faced bird a kind smile.

"Princess Luna, how are you here," asked Adara.

"I am the Princess of the Night, and as such, I am tasked with the duty to watch over the dreams of my sleeping subjects," explained Luna.

Adara gasped and quickly bowed her head, "Forgive me; I did not know the dream plain was under your dominion! I meant no disrespect."

Luna chuckled a bit, "Do not fret, you're intentions were not malicious, like me, you wish to grant peaceful dreams with your light of hope. I do not mind the company." The Princess of the Night then turned her attention back to the mare version of Scootaloo who was flying circles around the other cadets. "She is quite the strong little filly isn't she?"

Adara returned her gaze back to the filly she had come to call friend, "Yes, yes she is. She aspires to do great things, I feel honored to know such a filly." Adara turned to Luna and saw that her expression had darkened. "Princess Luna, are you alright?"

"Adara, Entity of Hope, while we are here there is something I need to show you," spoke Luna.

Adara nodded her head and motioned for Luna to proceed. The lunar alicorn's horn glowed and immediately the scenery before them shifted. No more the serene blue skies of Wonderbolts Academy; instead there was darkness, with wafting strands of dark purple mist all around. Adara's face scrunched up, the miasmic mist reeked of negative emotions and evil impulses. The two winged dream walkers flew through the void for what felt like hours, after a while Luna stopped flying, prompting Adara to do the same.

"Princess Luna –"

"Please, just call me Luna," she corrected.

"Luna, why have you brought me to this…place," asked Adara.

"This 'place' lies within the mind of our dear Scootaloo."

Adara gave the lunar princess an incredulous look. Luna picked up on the skepticism of the Entity of Hope, upon which her horn was aglow with her azure mana. Suddenly the void seemed to rumble and groan; from seemingly out of nowhere a giant gate appeared. It was made of iron, wrapped in jingling chains that crisscrossed all over the front. The symbol of the crescent moon was emblazoned on the front, acting as a magical seal. The miasmic mist was pouring out of the cracks of the gate, the groaning noises still echoed through the void, its point of origin the giant gate.

"Luna…what in the name of the Entity is that," asked Adara aghast.

"That is the Gate of Nightmares, behind that gate lies all of Scootaloo's greatest fears. I am unaware of her past, as I am sure you are, but whatever this young filly has gone through it has left her with memories that have grown into powerful nightmares," explained Luna.

"Are they so strong that keeping them locked behind such a construct is necessary," asked Adara.

"Whatever her life was before coming to Ponyville it must have been painful; those memories have become nightmares that wish to plague her relentlessly." Luna stopped speaking as a loud groaning roar echoed through the void, emanating from the gate. "When I first entered her dreams, it was only to help her face the fears she had at that time, little did I know that there were worse ones hidden within her mind. So I collected them all and placed them behind this gate within her mind, unfortunately, the gate isn't strong enough. The miasma is its way of trying to influence her dreams and bring her into a nightmare."

Adara looked between Luna and the gate; she then flew towards the gate and examined its surface. The Entity of Hope then placed her left wing against the gate, suddenly the gate shook violently, the chains rattling and swaying to and fro. Whatever lied behind the gate did not like the light that Adara emitted.

"Thanks to you, Adara, Scootaloo's dreams have been peaceful as of late." Luna floated towards Adara and gently placed a hoof on her right wing, gaining the attention of the blue bird. "Adara, I have a favor to ask of you…"

* * *

_(Monday: Morning)_

Today was pleasant, a bit chilly, but pleasant. The seasons were changing, soon summer was going to change to fall and the leaves would change their colors. Currently, Adara was perched in a tree overlooking the schoolhouse.

Since Adara was a new filly, and had no parents, she couldn't go to school with Scootaloo. So she contented herself with watching from affair. Time and again she saw Apple Bloom walk to school with a pony she knew quite well and today was no different. As this particular pony, a stallion, trotted down the dirt road his body suddenly went aglow with green energy, much to his surprise as well as hers.

_Oh my_, thought Adara.

"Adara," called out the stallion.

The blue filly opened her wings and flew down from her perch; she glided on the air currents till she was brought to the side of the green earth pony stallion. Adara looked up at the stallion apologetically.

"Sorry Ion," she said.

"No problem Adara, but could you turn down your power so that I'm not glowing like a lightning bug," asked Ion.

Adara closed her eyes and concentrated, even though her powers weren't being called upon, the blue light of hope had a passive ability to power-up the green light of willpower, so Adara had to concentrate on lowering her power's influence when in proximity to Ion. As she did so Ion's emerald aura began to dissipate till it no longer shined brightly. Giving a sigh of relief Ion smiled down at the filly Adara.

"Thanks," he said.

"No need, I will try and make sure it doesn't happen again," said Adara smiling back.

"Well, I'll be seeing you Adara; I have to get back to the farm."

Ion started walking down the dirt road, but something compelled him to spare his fellow entity a sideways glance. When he did Ion saw that Adara was looking a little down, prompting him to stop and turn towards her.

"Adara, was there something you needed to ask me?"

"Um…well…if you don't mind Ion, I'd like your council on a certain matter," said Adara.

Ion nodded towards the little filly pegasus, she then fluttered over to the earth pony stallion and the two emotional entities started to trot down the road. For half the trip there was silence between them, Adara didn't know just how to phrase her position. Adara saw Ion as not just a fellow entity and friend, but as a sort of older brother figure, so there was no one else she'd rather get advice from than him.

"Ion, Princess Luna has requested my help with a certain matter," she said.

"I'm listening."

Adara began her explanation, telling Ion how Luna wanted the Entity of Hope to find out what Scootaloo had gone through in her life that had caused her to develop such extreme and violent nightmares, nightmares that the Princess of the Night had to lock behind a giant gate within the young filly's mind. Ion listened intently; the blue pegasus filly could tell that Ion was thinking hard about the subject.

"So you believe that Scootaloo has gone through something terrible in her life, but you don't know how to go about asking her. Using your light might reveal the source of her nightmares, but something tells me that is not the route you wish to go, is it," asked Ion.

Adara sighed, "You are right, but I'm – and this is completely absurd to begin with mind you – a-afraid to ask."

Ion shook his head, "It's not absurd at all, she's your friend, she'll understand."

"We'll see."

Ion placed a hoof on Adara's withers and smiled down at her, "I'm always here for you, whether you need to talk or anything."

The cerulean filly chuckled, "Thank you, Ion."

After their talk the two entities went their separate ways. Adara took to the skies and made her way back to the school house, returning to her tree branch perch and overlooking the playground. She couldn't imagine what Scootaloo had gone through in her life to cause such nightmares, as wonderful as this world seemed to her, there still appeared to be skeletons hidden in some of the ponies' closets. Adara started to work through a number of scenarios and questions she could ask Scootaloo, they ranged but were limited by her imagination; thinking of cruel acts wasn't something the Entity of Hope was good at.

_Could…could someone have hurt her? No, why would anyone do that…but what if someone did?! _The mere thought of someone even laying a finger on Scootaloo ruffled the filly's feathers, literally, her wings were extended and flapping like an agitated bird. Adara then released a long sigh. _Well, guess I'll try asking after our crusade later today…_

* * *

_(Monday: Afternoon)_

Adara was the Entity of Hope, in the universe she had left behind she and her fellow entities have seen, and been involved in, strange things. But while some things were better left unanswered, Adara couldn't help but pose this question to her fellow Crusaders, because, in all honesty, it baffled even her.

"Explain to me, how it is possible to even get covered in tree sap, when our crusade at Sugar Cube Corner was nowhere near a tree," asked Adara.

"Trust meh, Ah've been wonderin' that mahself since we started the Cutie Mark Crusaders," said Apple Bloom.

All four fillies were currently waiting for Pinkie Pie to run the bath so that they could all get rid of the sticky substance that refused to yield no matter how many times they tried to pull away from it. Adara tried to give a flap of her wings, but the sap kept her from spreading her wings to their full extent. The cerulean filly was becoming increasingly annoyed at the tree saps refusal to release her and her friends from its grasp; her frustration must've showed since Scootaloo looked a little down.

"Sorry about this Adara, guess I should've warned that this kind of stuff might happen," apologized Scootaloo.

After a few more tries Adara gave up on getting loose and just waited like the others for their bath.

"It's not your fault, as annoying as this tree sap is, our crusade for 'cake baking cutie marks' was the most fun I've had in years."

"I guess you didn't get to play a lot with your friends back home, huh," asked Sweetie Belle.

"Oh no, things were very peaceful on Ody –" Adara snapped her mouth shut, having almost spoke of her past in the other universe.

"'Ody' is that the name of the town you moved from," asked Sweetie Belle.

"W-W-Well…n-not exactly…"

Adara started to become a little nervous; the question about where she came from hadn't been raised for nearly over a month and a half, and so far she had gotten by on just the clout that she saved Scootaloo's life.

"Actually, Ah don't remember ya ever sayin' where it was ya came from," said Apple Bloom, thinking out loud.

"Um…uhhh, you see…"

"Hey look Pinkie's back," exclaimed Scootaloo, a little louder than she probably intended.

Indeed the pink party pony was trotting down the stairs, looking all happy and bubbly as she usually was. Adara let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the distraction that Pinkie Pie brought.

"Sorry for the wait everypony, but the tubs all filled up and full of bubbles…Ahh…Aachoo!" As soon as Pinkie Pie sneezed dozens of bubbles appeared out of nowhere. The pink mare shook her head and sniffled a little before putting on her big smile yet again. "Those bubbles sure do tickle a lot, which is weird, because bubbles are made of soap and water, so you wouldn't think that it make you sneeze. Wonder what they put in there to make them so tickly, I think they put something in there to make ponies sneeze on purpose what do you think?"

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Adara just stood there under the anticipating gaze of Pinkie Pie, wondering if there was a right or wrong answer to this random question.

"Um…yes," they said collectively.

"I knew it! Okay then, everypony into the tub!"

Rather awkwardly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way up the stairs of Sugar Cube Corner and got into the tub of soothing hot water. The tree sap literally melted away as all four of the fillies splashed around, playing with the bubbles and occasionally giving each other a hoof in washing the sap off their backs.

Adara couldn't help but notice how Scootaloo's mane and coat glistened from the water and soap, when the light hit her at the right angle Scootaloo sparkled, even her eyes seemed to shine a bit. After shaking the thoughts loose from her mind Adara continued to bathe, washing out the remaining sap from her mane and coat.

After about half an hour of washing up and drying off, the Crusaders were treated to some complementary pastries from the Cakes. After a few minutes Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom bid their two pegasi friends goodbye, for some reason though, Sweetie Belle glanced at them from over her left shoulder. She seemed to be looking straight at Scootaloo; the young unicorn's expression resembled that of concern or worry. Scootaloo seemed to pick up on her friend's look; she then waved a hoof at Sweetie Belle, silently telling her that it was alright.

After that, Sweetie Belle was finally out of sight, leaving the two pegasi foals alone.

"Well, we still have some time before the sun is completely down, shall we head back to the clubhouse," asked Adara.

"Nah, too early, I don't want to run the risk of Apple Bloom or her family to find out that we're living in the clubhouse. We could just walk around town for a while till it gets a little later then make our way back, by then they'll all be inside and not out in the fields," said Scootaloo.

Adara nodded in agreement to Scootaloo's suggestion. The two of them started their little trot around town, not really going anywhere in particular. Just two friends out for early evening stroll. The sun was starting to sink on the horizon, and most of the Ponyville residents were either at home or getting ready to wake up for their night jobs either in or outside of Ponyville. The whole time they were walking Adara was trying to think of the best moment to bring up the subject. Luna had asked her for a favor, and it was one that she wanted help with.

Scootaloo openly accepted her, despite not knowing her true identity or origins. Adara didn't want to ruin what she had with Scootaloo, her first friend, a dear friend. Her distress must have been showing as the orange pegasus filly nudged Adara with her shoulder, snapping her out her inner thoughts.

"Adara, you alright?" Scootaloo asked.

"Huh, well yes…Actually I need to thank you," said Adara.

"Don't mention it, us runaways gotta watch out for each other right?" Scootaloo punctuated her statement by giving Adara light jab to the shoulder.

"Yes, you're right. While we're on the subject, there is something I'd like to ask you…"

"Well go ahead and ask, we're friends Adara, you can ask me anything," said Scootaloo smiling.

_I wish you wouldn't smile at me like that, it makes asking just that much harder…_

"I was wondering, you said ran away and found yourself in Ponyville, I thought that maybe you'd want to tell me where you used to live?"

Scootaloo's happy expression fell quickly, a somber and pain filled look darkened her countenance.

"Of course I'd be willing to tell you where I came from as well, I don't intend for this to be one-sided," she added quickly.

There was silence between the two friends as Adara awaited her answer.

"…No, sorry but I just don't want to talk about where I used to live…Ponyville's my home and that's all I care about."

"I understand, but don't you miss your parents sometimes, I'm sure your mother and father are –"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Scootaloo shouted.

Adara took stopped walking for a moment and took a few steps back, the amount of anger in Scootaloo's voice had surprised her greatly, but it wasn't just her tone of voice, there was a look in her narrowed eyes, something close to pain.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Scootaloo."

The violet maned filly seemed to realize what her outburst did; she turned her head away from her friend, ashamed of what she had done.

"Let's just…get back to the clubhouse…"

The trot to the clubhouse was a silent one that day night. Nary was a word spoken between them beyond the occasional question. When they arrived at the clubhouse the two fillies got out their sleeping blanket, although, instead of Scootaloo curling next to Adara she kept a sizeable gap between them. It hurt Adara to see what her questioning had done. As impossible at it sounded, the two of them were able to drift to sleep.

* * *

Adara had entered the dreamscape once again. She was in her true form, shining her hope light bright, signaling to a certain dream walker to come to her aid. The great three-faced bird did not have to wait long. In the distance the image of the full moon appeared, from it shot out a blue and white comet that zipped around and landed a few feet before Adara. The energy dispersed and revealed the regal form of Princess Luna.

"Adara how did…it…go?"

Luna's question died upon looking up at the three frowning beaks of the Entity of Hope.

"She was angered by my question…I fear she is displeased with me at the moment," said Adara.

Luna sighed greatly, "I am sorry, truly I do not like to burden you with this task. But Scootaloo might not open up to me. In her eyes I am the Princess of the Night, though I am a friend of hers, the fact remains I am much older than her, an adult, and she might not open up to me as easily as she may you."

"I understand your reasoning Luna. At the very least I gained something out this."

"And what would that be?"

"Whatever happened in Scootaloo's past has caused her great pain and sorrow. So, as much as I hate to admit it, my suspicions may prove correct. And from the looks of it, so have yours," spoke Adara.

Neither one of them wanted to say what was going through their minds, though it did make sense. For such nightmares to be so powerful and frightening they could only stem from some truly traumatic event in her life, the list was not a pleasant one to think of for the two immortals.

"Adara, you need to get Scootaloo to tell you the truth, barring that…I think you might have to bring the situation to somepony she trusts greatly," said Luna.

All three of Adara's face looked at Luna stunned.

"Wait, do you mean to have me tell someone that Scootaloo is homeless!? She may have not been safe before, but she is safe so long I remain with her!"

"I would rather dear Scootaloo bring such a matter up to somepony, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, even her teacher Cheerilee, but if the nightmares grow stronger, her mental health well be at risk, and if there is something serious she is keeping secret then it must be resolved."

Adara's three faces became stern as she looked down at the lunar princess, her great wings flaring out as the symbol of the blue hope shined on her chest.

"So long as that filly is under the protection of my light, I shall not let any harm befall her, this I swear," spoke Adara, her voice echoing in the Astral Plain.

Her proclamation sounded like a mixture of love as well as a dare. Luna was not fazed; she only smiled at the Entity of Hope, happy to see that she did care for Scootaloo.

"Very well, try again if you can, maybe try asking one of her other friends. She may've even confided in adults, but be careful, use discretion, you are here in this world in disguise, so don't betray your current persona," warned Luna.

"Do not worry, I shall not."

Luna started to flap her wings and rise up; she gave a gentle smile at the entity.

"She is lucky to have a friend who cares about her so much, one could say you care about her as more than just a friend," said Luna teasingly.

If it was Luna's intention to see if an Emotional Entity was able to blush, she succeeded. Before Adara could rebut her claim Luna was gone, off to check on the many dreamers under her protection, leaving the blue bird alone.

_Maybe I shall have better luck tomorrow…?_

* * *

_(Tuesday, Midafternoon)_

Adara was perched upon her usual branch, the school bell had rang and all the foals and rushed out in a mad dash stampede. She watched her friends scramble out just like the others, each one heading out do their own separate activities. Adara watched as Scootaloo got her scooter and began flapping her wings quickly, propelling her down the dirt road and away from the school house. After a few minutes of waiting to make sure no one else was around, Adara flew off the branch and down to the front door of the school.

_Forgive me for lying to you Scootaloo, and for going behind your back…but this is for your own good_, she thought.

The cerulean filly pushed open door and was greeted by the sight of a maroon colored mare, with a pinkish mane, and kind light green eyes, Cheerilee if she remembered correctly. Currently she had a pencil in her mouth; there was a large stack of papers on her right side, while a smaller stack was on her left. She was using the pencil to make marks on one of the sheets in front of her, no doubt grading a recent homework assignment. Cheerilee seemed to be deeply engrossed in her work, so to get her attention Adara cleared her throat loudly. No response. That's when she opted to take a more direct approach.

"Excuse me, Miss Cheerilee!"

The school mare was snapped out of her grading mode; she dropped her pencil and yelped a bit.

"Oh my!" She looked at the blue filly a bit startled. Cheerilee then shook her head and quickly composed herself. "Sorry about that my little pony, you surprised me. I thought everypony had left a long time ago."

"Yes, well, I waited because I wished to speak to you," asked Adara.

"Is that right? Well then please sit."

Adara went to the desk closest to Cheerilee and sat down; the whole time Cheerilee studied the young filly, trying to place her face.

"I'm sorry, but you're not in my class are you?"

Adara flinched a little, forgetting that little important fact. Of course it was natural for a teacher to have memorized the names and faces of their students.

"Oh – well – uh – I'm from Cloudsdale! I just came by to ask you about a student of yours, a friend of mine actually." Adara tried to gather her thoughts, she needed to make sure that Cheerilee didn't become suspicious of her questions, or inquire about Scootaloo's housing. "It's about Scootaloo."

"What about Scootaloo, is she alright?" Cheerilee asked.

Adara began speaking to Cheerilee about Scootaloo's nightmares, or, it was more accurate to say that she spoke that she had nightmares, past tense. She tried to keep to the subject of her and Scootaloo's accommodations, or to the fact that she was homeless. After the conversation was over Cheerilee was silent, she had kept a neutral expression throughout, making it hard to figure out exactly what the school teacher was thinking.

Cheerilee looked off towards the window; she didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular.

"Adara, remind me again what your relationship with Scootaloo is?"

"I-I'm her friend – her cousin actually," she fibbed.

"You're not related to Scootaloo," said Cheerilee flatly.

Adara's eyes bulged from her skull at those words; she shook her head and tried to regain her composure.

"What are you saying, of course I am, why would you doubt that?!"

"Because if you were then you'd know why she's having the nightmares, rather than coming to me for answers." Cheerilee returned her gaze back to the cerulean filly. "I've seen you around town as well, you go crusading with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, and you have been for the past month and a half now. So please young lady, tell me the truth."

Adara knew Cheerilee was intelligent, but she didn't think she was this perceptive. Adara didn't know how to respond, fearing she may tell more than what she wanted the school teacher to know.

"Alright, would it be easier if I told you I know about Scootaloo's situation. That she has no home."

"How is that possible," she blanched.

Cheerilee got up and trotted from behind her desk. She then stopped and sat on her haunches, about a foot away from the desk where Adara was. The school teacher let out a long sigh before she said anything.

"A while back, when Scootaloo came to this school, she told me that her parents were very busy ponies, and didn't have time to come to school events. 'They worked till late and don't really have time to come here,' at least that what she said. I didn't think much of it at first; many parents of foals work late and sometimes don't have time to spend with their children. So I ignored it, she seemed happy enough, especially when she made a friend in Sweetie Belle, mind you this was before they met Apple Bloom and became the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Cheerilee seemed to take a moment to let herself enjoy those memories, before the three incarnations of chaos got together and caused nothing but worry for her, and yet, it wasn't all that bad.

_So, Sweetie Belle was friends with Scootaloo before they met Apple Bloom…Sweetie might know more, but more importantly…_

"Miss Cheerilee, how did you find out," asked Adara.

The maroon mare snapped herself out her reminiscing and continued her explanation.

"I noticed one day, while walking around town. It was late and I swore I saw Scootaloo moving around the town late at night, she seemed to have a happy expression on her face, so I wanted to see why. I followed her to an alleyway; it was one that you'd never notice if you weren't actively looking for it. Anyway, I saw her duck into a little abandoned cart, I soon saw her pull out her scooter, and then a saddlebag stuffed with a blanket and pillow…I ducked away, I was…I was in shock. One of my students was living in an alley, homeless! Before I could say anything Scootaloo zoomed off towards Sweet Apple Acres on her scooter, I ran faster than I ever have that day trying to keep up with her."

"Eventually I found her at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse. It was nice, considering what it looked like way back when Applejack was using," mused Cheerilee. "Anyway, apparently I caught her moving into the clubhouse. Every bone in my body screamed out that I should've gone there and helped her, confronted her, but…"

"But…?"

Cheerilee got up from her sitting position and made her way towards the window, she stared out into the blue sky, trying to remember something.

"Adara, do you know what 'Community Raised' means," she asked, looking over her shoulder.

The cerulean filly shook her head.

"I thought not. Community Raised: The pegasus tribe was once a race of warriors, they fought hard on the battlefield, but it belayed the kindness shared between them. Whenever a foal's parents died from illness or in battle, if the foal choose to live on their own then they were granted that option. But it didn't mean that they were alone, the pegasi of Cloudsdale have a 'flock' mentality, even though it looks like they are alone, they aren't. They are Community Raised, each of the community taking up the part of a parent, friend, or sibling, raising the orphaned foal till it was old enough and strong enough to make it on its own."

"I believe that's what's happened here in Ponyville, there may be some who know, like me, but there are also those who truly care about Scootaloo and wish to take care of her from afar. Waiting until the day she's ready to tell somepony why she's alone…So you see Adara, while Scootaloo doesn't know it she's, in a way, Ponyville's daughter. And that's the only reason why I haven't said anything, and with her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and even you, I believe she'll be alright. We just have to wait till she's ready to tell us…"

"I never knew that," said Adara in awe.

"Not many do…you must think I'm a terrible pony…"

Adara got up from her seat and trotted over towards the school teacher. "Why would I?"

"For not telling anypony about Scootaloo…and for burdening you with all this, I just thought that, because the two you were friends and since you don't seem to be from Ponyville that you should know. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the three of them have done so much together that I don't want their friendship to end," said Cheerilee, a certain tremble in her voice.

Adara stood on her hind legs and placed a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder. The school teacher looked into the blue eyes of the little filly, and for some unknown reason, she felt a wave of relief overpowering the growing sadness in her. Adara could sense Cheerilee's sincere care about her students and for Scootaloo as well.

"Miss Cheerilee, you don't need to worry. You've done all you can, Scootaloo's happy here in Ponyville, you needn't worry what I think. Though she tends to complain a bit about the homework, I still see a smile hidden behind her grumpy exterior when she does it. You enjoy teaching the others, nurturing their talents, instilling them with hope."

Adara flapped her wings and rose up, bringing her at eye level with Cheerilee. She then moved forward and touched her forehead with the teacher's. Adara could feel the connection to her light of hope within Cheerilee; she used this to calm the tempest of worries within the school teacher.

Cheerilee didn't seem to know how to respond to this new feeling, but there was comfort in this feeling, so she closed her eyes and allowed this comfort to fill her heart.

Adara retreated back a bit and floated back down to the floor. She then looked up at Cheerilee and smiled gently at her. "Don't worry Miss Cheerilee, all will be well."

Adara made her way towards the front door of the classroom, having heard all she needed to. Knowing that there were ponies in this town that cared for Scootaloo this whole time made her happy.

"Adara, sweetie, tell me are you…are you the same as Scootaloo?"

The cerulean pegasus looked back at Cheerilee and nodded in conformation.

"And…are you staying with Scootaloo, in that clubhouse on Sweet Apple Acres?"

Again, Adara nodded.

"Well then, please continue to be a good friend to Scootaloo, would you, and watch out for her?"

Adara smiled brightly, giving the school teacher one more reassuring nod before heading out the door.

* * *

Adara was trotting through the streets of Ponyville, her mind still buzzing with the knowledge she had just gained from Cheerilee. It was amazing that there was somebody in the town who knew about Scootaloo's situation, even more so, the town itself had an inkling about her.

_But still, I'm no closer to figuring out her past. Cheerilee said that Sweetie Belle was Scootaloo's first friend. I should probably start at Rarity's_, thought Adara.

With that in mind, the Entity of Hope made her way towards Carousel Boutique, if she wasn't there then she'd head towards Sweetie's actual house, failing that she'd have to start tracking down the little unicorn, which shouldn't be too hard considering the size of the town.

Soon Carousel Boutique came into view. Adara still marveled at the house and business of the esteemed dressmaker, and Element of Generosity, Rarity. She began knocking on the front door, but there was no response. Adara knocked a few more times, but again there was nothing. It was starting to look like there was nobody home.

Suddenly the door flew open and a plume of black smoke bellowed out from within the shop, her vision obscured completely. The cerulean filly coughed and gagged as the smoke continued to flow out of the front door. Adara started to become worried that something bad may have happened to Rarity inside the shop. Before her imagination could run wild with bad thoughts she could soon hear other voices coughing as well inside. Now that she thought about it, there was no heat, no sign of a fire. So where was all this smoke coming from?

"OH MY CELESTIA, SWEETIE BELLE!"

The worried sound of Rarity's voice propelled Adara into the Boutique, fearing that something may have happened to her friend. When she entered Adara saw that the origin of the smoke was coming from the kitchen. She quickly rushed into the kitchen and gasped audibly. Now Adara, being the Entity of Hope, had seen many a thing in her immortal life. The atrocities of war, the feeling of utter hopelessness from the creatures in the universe, being taken prisoner and forced to possess a Guardian by Krona, and even witnessed the horrors of the Blackest Night. But even all that couldn't compare with the sight before her now.

There something on the stove, a skillet, and there appeared to be something creating the smoke within the skillet itself. On the table there seemed to be an assortment of…well…food would be stretching it. Adara knew food was colorful, smelled wonderful, and was sometimes neatly arranged. However that was not the case, this "food" was black as night, charred beyond recognition. There were two plates of the black masses, and a bowl that contained a bubbling gray substance, along two glances full of the same thing.

Next to the table stood Rarity, her mouth was agape as she stared at what was created and placed on the table. Next to her was Sweetie Belle, her white coat had sooty patches on it, indicating that she was probably at the epicenter of whatever created the monstrosities before them, however the young unicorn was beaming with pride for some unknown reason.

"See Rarity, I'm getting better at this," said Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie better implies that your skills are improving, and I feel as if we took one step forward the one time and now have taken two steps back," replied Rarity.

"What do you mean, at least the toast looks like toast this time."

"And yet you've somehow managed to burn orange juice."

"It's not that bad." Sweetie Belle went up to the glass and took a cautious sniff of the burnt liquid.

"Um excuse me, Sweetie Belle, Miss Rarity?"

Both unicorns turned around and finally took notice of young pegasus waiting quietly in the archway. Rarity quickly did an about face and greeted her guest.

"Oh Adara what perfect timing darling, what can we do for you," she asked.

"Oh, um, I was wondering, could I please talk with Sweetie Belle about something," asked Adara.

"Oh why yes of course. Sweetie why don't you go and talk with Adara, while I, uh, well, I'll bring you two something in a minute," said Rarity as she eyed the condition of her kitchen.

"Okay, c'mon Adara," said Sweetie Belle.

"Thanks Miss Rarity!"

"Oh not all, and please darling, just Rarity," she corrected.

Sweetie Belle led Adara up to the spare room that she often occupied when staying over at Rarity's. Sweetie Belle seemed happy to see the cerulean pegasus, and after what she saw downstairs she knew Rarity was glad to get the little unicorn out of the kitchen. Once in the room Sweetie Belle bounced up onto her bed and looked over at Adara.

"So what did you want to talk about," she asked.

Adara rubbed the back of her left foreleg nervously, "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me about Scootaloo?"

Sweetie Belle quirked her head to the side looking confused. "Um, okay, what about Scootaloo?"

"I recently found out that you two were friends long before you met Apple Bloom, so I just wanted to know more about her and so I thought I should ask you," said Adara.

Sweetie Belle started to fidget with her front legs, and her eyes were downcast a bit.

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why do you want to know more about Scootaloo," clarified Sweetie.

"Well, uh, no reason really, I just kinda wanted to get to know her better."

"If anything she'd tell you more than she'd tell me," said Sweetie as she looked away from Adara.

"Oh I don't believe that, you two are best friends, why would you think Scootaloo would tell me more?"

Sweetie Belle mumbled something under her breath, Adara's ear twitched as she tried to catch what Sweetie said. She continued to stare at Sweetie, there was silence in the room for a while, that is until she asked the question again.

"Sweetie Belle, why do you believe that Scootaloo would tell me more about herself than you?"

This time Sweetie looked directly at Adara, her brow was furrowed and she stopped fidgeting with her forehooves.

"Because you're a pegasus!" Sweetie shouted, her voice cracking a bit.

Adara was taken aback by her friend's shouting, but still she pressed for an answer.

"W-Why would that mean anything?"

"You've seen the way she admires Rainbow Dash, even more now that she and Rainbow are like sisters! Scootaloo's always been self-conscious about not being able to fly like other pegasi, some the other kids haven't really bothered her about it, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon call her on it almost every day…"

It was at this point that Sweetie's angered look gave way to something else, a kind of forlorn sadness.

"And then…and then you showed up, you saved Scootaloo, plus, you're the only other pegasus our age who isn't bothered by the fact that she can't fly or who's made fun of her for it. If you haven't noticed you two spend a lot of time together, and the times I'm alone with her she talks about _you_," Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at Adara for emphasis.

She couldn't deny that fact, and indeed there may be some truth to that, but their closeness was more due to the fact that they were living together for the past month and a half, so it wasn't unthinkable that the two of them would seem a bit closer than normal friends…_Wait she talks about me when I'm not around?! _

For some reason Adara felt her cheeks become warm, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sweetie Belle. The Entity of Hope shook her head quickly, dislodging whatever thoughts were rising in her mind and focused on the situation at hand.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry, but despite what you might think, Scootaloo hasn't – doesn't – want to talk to me about everything. I know little about her parents, or where she was before she came to Ponyville," she confessed.

This new information caught Sweetie Belle off-guard.

"Wait, you mean…are you sure," she asked uncertain.

Adara looked down at the floor, genuinely feeling bad for the way she made Sweetie Belle feel. "Yes, that's why I came to you, her best friend…I'm sorry if I made you or Apple Bloom feel like we were excluding you or something, I really am…"

"Stop," Adara looked back up at Sweetie, "I'm the one who's sorry, I-I just…I just really worry about Scootaloo sometimes, yes she's my best friend, but she's also my first friend. And I guess I got a little, you know…"

Adara reached out a hoof and tapped Sweetie on the shoulder. The little white unicorn looked directly at Adara, who gave her a little smile.

"All is forgiven Sweetie Belle, you just care about Scootaloo and were looking out for her wellbeing, there's nothing to apologize for," she said.

Sweetie Belle allowed herself to smile back at Adara, while a crimson blush started to appear on her cheeks.

Sweetie turned around and hopped back onto the bed, she folded her legs underneath her and patted the spot next to her, motioning for her friend to join her. Adara took the hint and flew up onto the bed and laid on the spot across from Sweetie Belle.

"So…where do you want to start?"

"Well, how about when you two first met."

"Okay, it was about two years ago when I first met Scootaloo…"

Adara and Sweetie Belle talked for a long while, hours flew by, the two fillies even took the time to play together, and cause a little mayhem for Rarity. It wasn't long before the pegasus filly noticed that the sun was getting lower in the sky and that she and Scootaloo would have to head back to the clubhouse soon. Adara then bid adieu to the unicorn sisters and went about her way.

After her talk with Sweetie Belle, which went awkwardly well, Adara decided to check in on Scootaloo to see how the flying lessons were going. She didn't get that far.

Suddenly Adara heard the familiar buzzing sounds of wings. She immediately recognized this sound and looked around. The cerulean filly didn't have to search long, as the origin was fast approaching her. Adara turned around and saw Scootaloo traveling at full speed towards her, a trail of dust was kicked up in her wake. The keen eyes of the Entity of Hope focused on her friend's expression, and it worried her.

Scootaloo's scooter came to a grinding halt, kicking up even more dust into the air. Adara flinched a bit as she saw the look in Scootaloo's eyes; they were narrowed, boring deep into the cerulean filly before her. Her brow was furrowed and her grip on the steering handle was tight. Scootaloo dismounted her scooter and stared her fellow Crusader dead in the eyes. Something about her stare made Adara uneasy, even more so when Scootaloo spoke.

"Adara…why," said Scootaloo in a shaking voice.

"Why what," asked Adara timidly.

"WHY THE BUCK DID YOU TALK TO CHEERILEE ABOUT ME!?"


End file.
